For fans of Bonfire of the Vanities or, more recently, Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire, this novel is your next must-read. Set in and around the iconic building in the East Village from which the book takes its title, it’s a captivating, multi-stranded New York epic about the Aids crisis.

Beginning in the 1980s and spanning four decades, Christodora follows the lives of the victims and heroes of the darkest of these years – not least the brave women who fought on the frontline to secure healthcare provision for those whom the city would otherwise have been happy to ignore. An engrossing and inspiring story of loss, love and hope, set against a backdrop of art, activism and addiction.

• Christodora by Tim Murphy is published by Picador (£16.99). To order a copy for £12.74, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99