Parasite

by Stephen Boyer

Parasite, Stephen Boyer's debut novel is about a young 17 year old boy, Joshua Boyer, who runs away from his unaccepting Christian parents. Josh finds himself in San Francisco as a sex slave to an older man, but quickly tires of the abuse. He turns to working in the sex industry and searches for true love as he tries to figure out his new life.

Publication Studio's Fellow Travelers series extends the pioneering work of Paris-based Olympia Press's Traveller's Companion series of the 1950s and '60s, which published work that had been banned or censored through moralistic prohibition. Our series presents great new work that has been effectively "censored" by the market. In our day, the market is the definitive censor. The Fellow Travelers series proudly presents great work that the market has not endorsed, but that we believe in.

Genres: Queer

361 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2013

Reviews

[Mistab24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written and addictive book. I am not much of a book reader but I finished this one in two nights. As someone who was on my own at the age of 16, I am always interested in other peoples' stories of survival whether they be fact or fiction. The book's main character is very easy to identify with and you can almost feel much of what the character endures.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, probably the hottest thing I've read since Wild Boys. Beyond that (although, really, let's meditate on that for a moment), an incredibly enjoyable little book. Plays with themes of sexuality and class in a landscape that's informed by sci-fi, gay culture, evangelical Christianity, and drug-induced hallucinations. Boyer's a strong writer, and manages to weave all this together quite well, keeping you engaged even as the narrative reaches its most theoretical/political moments. I had a hard time putting it down.

Joshua is a delightful little protagonist, the kind of optimist that sometimes forgets the world until it's kicking him in the ribs. He's a doll for it though. He sings the subaltern, and his is a hauntingly beautiful song.

Often touching and frequently poignant, Parasite manages to make you laugh, make you hot, and make you sad all at once. I'd recommend it highly.

Only minus for me was the ending - felt like the story wasn't quite finished. Hopefully it wasn't? Or maybe that's just my lack of imagination...

[Justin Swaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parasite written by Stephen Boyer is absolutely incredible. sincere, poignant, adventurous and well written.

my favorite part of this book is that the writer manages to sneak extremely profound sentences into paragraphs littered with sexual content.

i loved it. could not put it down. did not put it down.

[Leor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to read this but can't find a copy, you can buy recorded audiobook chapters of the author reading it from her bandcamp: https://aeliananicoleanderson.bandcam...

Running away as a teen, San Francisco, sex work, infatuation, poetry, dysphoria...and also some deep philosophical & historical detours about Jewish diaspora, among other things. Stream-of-consciousness interludes scattered throughout a cohesive narrative.

[A Templeton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't!

[Alvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a raw and slightly surreal missive from the land of poetic hustlers (and, really, who isn't?) Parasite is your book. Josh, the protagonist, is a queer teen with transgenderist tendencies and a psychedelic sensibility, just the sort of person I'd like to have over for tea.