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Absurdity and poignancy intertwine in Stephen Dietz's quietly brilliant examination of the AIDs epidemic through the eyes of two gay men, Jody, a worldly yet introverted map store owner and his more outlandish friend Carl, whose penchant for chairs carries more meaning than meets the eye.

As time goes on in the isolated store, it becomes apparent that Jody hasn't left it for very long time. As a result, his knowledge of what is happening to their community is scant. Carl, being his only link to the outside world, decides he must bear witness to what is happening and begins to place the chairs of their fallen friends in the shop. Reminding us that hiding away from the world and its problems can have devastating consequences, Lonely Planet is a beautifully simple, yet highly resonant work that still reverberates into today's climate.