April Fool's Day (novel)

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April Fool's Day
Author Bryce Courtenay
Country Australia
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publication date 1993
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Preceded by Tandia
Followed by Recipe for Dreaming

April Fool's Day is a 1993 novel by Bryce Courtenay. The book describes the author's son, Damon, a haemophiliac who contracted HIV/AIDS through a blood transfusion. The title refers to the date of Damon's death, April 1, 1991 (April Fools' Day).

April Fools Day is a novel by Australian author Bryce Courtenay. It is a tribute to his son Damon Courtenay who died in 1991 from AIDS which he had contracted via an infected blood transfusion. Damon was a classic haemophilliac all his life. He attempted to write this book himself but did not have much success. On his death bed, he asked his father to write it for him. Damon talked a lot about love, he believed it was important that everybody knew how to love. Evidence of this is his attitude towards people who treated people with AIDS unfairly. Not much was known about AIDS back then and sufferers were frowned upon. To quote his devoted partner Celeste, "Love is an energy, it cannot be created nor destroyed. It simply is giving meaning to life and direction to goodness".

Damon had two brothers, Brett and Adam. His parents were Bryce and Benita Courtenay. In 2000, nine years after Damon's death his parents divorced. Seven years later, in March 2007, Benita died from cancer.

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