Book Review: "My Dead Book" by Nate Lippens

I just finished a reread of a book that I think is very important and I wanted to share a review with all of you, especially those who are interested in LGBTQ books, but honestly, I think this is one everyone should read (if they can handle the triggers).

Nate Lippens delivers an evocative and raw narrative in My Dead Book, a fragmented, introspective journey of memory, grief, and survival. The novel’s unnamed narrator, a gay man on the cusp of fifty, reflects on the friends and lovers lost to the chaos of the 80s and 90s, the ravages of the AIDS epidemic, and his own reckless youth. These reflections emerge as vignettes—snippets of conversation, vivid recollections, and unflinching confessions of a life lived on the fringes.

Lippens’ prose is razor-sharp, blending the cold clarity of urban decay with moments of aching beauty. The narrator’s insomnia serves as a framework for this mosaic, creating a haunting exploration of loss, identity, and resilience.

Quote from the book
“Memory doesn’t resurrect the dead; it dissects them, pulls them apart and puts them back together as something less true but more tolerable.”

Highlights of the book

• A Poetic but Unsentimental Style: Lippens crafts prose that is raw and skeletal, like the exposed beams of an abandoned building—beautiful, chilling, and starkly evocative.
• A Time Capsule of Survival: The book paints a poignant portrait of the early years of the AIDS crisis, a time of profound loss and resilience, illuminating a history many may not fully know.
• An Unflinching Look at Queer Life: The narrative gives voice to an experience that is deeply personal yet universally human, resonating with anyone who has faced grief and the search for belonging.

This novel is a meditation on what it means to live on after so many have gone. Sensitive readers should be mindful of potential triggers, as the book does not shy away from the harsher realities of its themes. My Dead Book is a powerful, necessary read—a testament to the enduring strength of storytelling.

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