Foreign Affairs: Male Tales of Lust & Love

by Daniel M. Jaffe

In this newest short story collection from award-winning writer, Daniel M. Jaffe, red-blooded American men revel in wild romps, lose themselves in romances, discover unexpected friendships, and wrestle with shocking encounters, all while vacationing abroad. These travelers befriend a serial killer in a Munich bathhouse, a gay Holocaust ghost in Prague, a shape-shifting seductress in Mexico City, a desperate prostitute in Seville, a closeted Catholic school administrator in Dublin, an old woman who feels herself a prisoner in Soviet Leningrad. On an El Al flight home from Israel, a New Yorker tries to make sense of a fellow passenger contentedly sealed head-to-toe in a plastic bag. A tourist from West Hollywood wonders in Spain whether he should cruise a handsome older man seemingly right out of an El Greco painting. A New Jersey suburbanite strives to suppress forbidden urges while on a public Puerto Rico beach. The Americans here are young, middle-aged, senior. They are gay, bi, and straight men longing for other men, for women, for a trans old friend. Whereas many of these stories are realistic, others bring to life ghostly incarnations of those long dead, beings who defy definition, even the Devil himself. In Foreign Affairs, Daniel M. Jaffe blends humor, suspense, and eroticism with compassion for human frailty and respect for the universal struggle not simply to endure but to overcome. These stories titillate, intrigue, and tug at heartstrings.

168 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2020

Reviews

[Rainbow Reviewss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories that has all male protagonists, most of them are Jewish but the sexual orientation is different according to the story. I was very excited to read this literary fiction because of the LGBTQ theme as many of those men were longing for other men during their travel. The interesting thing about the stories is that each one explores a different place in the world through the eyes of the protagonists. As I recall most of these men are Americans. Some of these travel stories have magic realism while others are with subtle humor. All of them have this feel of surrealism to them. You will read lots of variety here like a gay Holocaust ghost in Prague, a closeted Catholic school administrator in Dublin, a shapeshifter in Mexico or a serial killer in a bathhouse in Munich, and many more.

I feel despite the multiple protagonists in the stories, the real hero of the whole collection is the mysterious atmosphere that was created by the author's writing whether the story had its supernatural element or not. I think Daniel M. Jaffe has done a big deal of research when he wrote this book because there are stories that talks a lot about the history of some places, those were quite fascinating. I love literary fiction in general when I can connect with a story and for that to happen I feel the story needs to be longer in length and detailed to make me feel as if I am living with the characters in their adventures. Unfortunately, I can't say that I connected to all the stories in this collection. I liked some of them more than the others. I was able to relate to some of the men there or their actions while some others I did not care much about. I still feel you should read the book for two main reasons, first the amount of hard work the author has put in here and second because there is a big chance you might enjoy a few of these travel tales if not all.

Many thanks to Gay Book Promotions for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.

The Review

[❤Sharonica-Logic❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foreign Affairs
MMy Thoughts & Review:

This book was jam-packed with short stories from different times and places all over the world. The ages, occupations, and backgrounds of the MCs were different. However, each story’s MC was of Jewish descent, and that somehow played into the story, either in a big or small way into each story.

I found the stories beautifully written and even found myself pulled into a couple of them. My most favorite was the story of the Young man in Russia during the Cold War. It reminded me of my youth and how the teens of my generation feared WWIII with Russia. Never knowing just how dreadful things were for the people of the USSR.

The author’s amazing world-building in some of the stories was astounding. You could see and feel and smell and taste everything the MCs did. You felt every single emotion.

This, however, is not a romance. I am not even sure I would call it a book of gay erotic tales. To me it’s more of a book of short stories on some of the trials and tribulations faced by Jewish Men who happen to be gay…or maybe, “aren’t like one specific tour guide,” in the book.

Overall, an interesting read that I am glad passed my desk. While I wasn’t thrilled by all the stories, there were more than enough to keep me going 'til the end.

Sharonica’s Logic: 3.50 watch-for-signs-in-the-stars 🌟🌟🌟. ✨

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gay Book Promotions to read and review.
🌈📚🌈

[Jerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series of short stories in which different people explore places around the world for different reasons.
It is quite well written. There’s so much history in this book, it’s crazy. I don’t know enough of the regions that were traveled to know if it’s accurate, but it was detailed and intriguing.
Some of the stories held an element of the supernatural. They just added to the layers of detail and depth.
I enjoyed traveling the world with the various main characters. I recommend it to anyone with a travel or history bug!