Why in Paris

by Harry F. Rey

In the late summer of 1936, a budding young photographer from Vienna named Anders travels to pre-war Paris. His mother sends him ostensibly to attend art school... and to survive as a Jew. But Anders is ready to explore his other secret: his sexuality. Living with over-the-top escort, Claude, above Giovanni's gay bar, Anders and Claude build their lives among the ruins of Bohemia in Montmartre. Anders soon falls for Jean, Claude's bitter rival in the escort scene. Anders captures Jean's beauty with his camera lens and sells the photos by the Seine to make a living. One buyer, a wealthy American socialite, David, comes along and presents Anders with a scandalous new venture.With David's film camera, they set up a secret studio, capturing incriminating reels of the rich and powerful committing all manner of compromising acts. As Paris falls to Hitler and the occupation takes hold, senior Nazis commandeer David's mansion as their personal brothel. Anders and David begin secretly filming the Nazis' trysts, scattering the evidence across Paris. Anders's old flame Eilas returns to Paris as an SS officer, and Jean has hatched a plot with the Resistance to assassinate Eilas's superior, the head of the SS in Paris. Amidst betrayal, love, and blackmail, who will survive these plots is far from certain.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBT

296 pages, Hardcover

Published May 11, 2022

About the author

Harry F. Rey is an author of over a dozen fiction novels. He's a graduate of Penguin WriteNow 2020, a member of the TV Foundation's New Writers Collective 2024, and has been Pushcart-nominated for his short stories.

Harry's main works include the MM royal drama series The Line of Succession from Deep Desires Press, the queer sci-fi series The Galactic Captains from Nine Star Press, the WWII-era gay historical novel Why in Paris? from Encircle Publications and the historical romance Six Days in Jerusalem.

His debut young adult gay romance - Of Gods and Boys - from Deep Hearts YA recently topped the Amazon teen charts. His other works include the rom-com All the Lovers from Deep Desires and the forthcoming sci-fi thriller The Dorvethan Conspiracy from Rebel Satori Press.

Harry's work has also been featured in anthologies including Not Meant for Each Other from Lost Boys Press and Queer Life, Queer Love from Muswell Press.

Harry can often be found scouring second-hand bookshops for the lost classics of gay literature, which he blogs about on his website and social media.

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the life, bo-bo, bo-bo, bo, Bohemia~aa (Boho Days - Jonathan Larson).

You know, sometimes I love a book so much that most positive descriptors don’t match up to what I’m feeling inside, like I’m about to explode with positivity! I usually just work back around to calling things “so good,” and call it a day. Anyway, ahh this book was so good! Okay, so I’m going to try to summarize the plot, none of which will be a spoiler because this book has the most detailed blurb out there, but mostly for myself because it gets pretty complicated at points and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. We follow a young Jewish man named Anders, as he travels to Paris to seek out the bohemian life of an artist. Only he learns at his university that he has no real interest in the more traditional arts and quickly pivots into the unknown (at the time) medium of photography. This eventually leads to him falling hard for an aspiring model Jean, and they become locally famous for Anders’ masterful eye and Jeans beauty. One thing leads to the next and suddenly Anders finds work in secretly photographing Nazi’s in compromising positions as a security measure and as a form of blackmail. Sounds like a rather unorthodox form of resistance, yeah? Well, what do you do when you can’t do nothing, but there’s nothing you can do? ...You do what you can. This was an incredibly powerful and harrowing tale of how a gay man’s pursuit of something more in life quickly turns into a struggle for survival under Nazi occupied Paris and then into one of resistance and eventually liberation. And the novel’s resolution was pure perfection! Chef's kiss! Sometimes violence is the answer! I also loved how the poetic prose was juxtaposed with the harsh subject matter, showing that these character’s spirit was never really destroyed, and never could be. This feels less like a novel, and more like a declaration; queer-folk have always been here, and we always will be.

”We are history. How many gays in how many generations had faced the same, or worse? How many had breakfasted, laughed with friends, held hands with lovers as the spiral of history conspired against them? How many Jews?”

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why in Paris is a gem! It’s the stunningly written story of Anders, a young gay Jewish photographer who moves from Austria to Paris just before WWII. There he meets his roommate Claude, a flamboyant French escort, and falls hard for Jean, an aspiring Black model. When he also meets David, a wealthy American with a secret studio and a blackmailing plan, his life changes in a way he could not have imagined. Meanwhile, the Nazis come closer and closer.

Anders is called ‘A voyeur of life’ by another character, and a voyeur is how I felt while reading the story. Through his lens, Anders showed me the luring city, Claude’s flamboyance, Jean’s beauty, and the pornographic photos so vividly. Pictures of Jean that could be obscene but felt elegant instead. As was the writing that was also contemplative, beguiling, and captivating, leaning towards literary prose.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Harry F. Rey drew me in, and the story had so much to offer, the gorgeous writing, the voyeurism, the wonderful characterization, and a found family. I also loved that fiction was interwoven with real-life details. While reading, I enjoyed myself enormously and therefore highly recommend this story to those who adore queer books, love historical romances, or just cherish remarkable stories.

Thank you Harry for this ARC! I received it in exchange for an honest review.

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[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~]

DNF @ 22%

I don't know how you make a gay Jewish Austrian running from the Nazis and studying art in Paris while becoming a pornographer boring, but this book accomplished it.

First, for being told from Anders's POV, I know almost nothing about him other than what I just wrote. He came to Paris hoping to lose his virginity, has a failed attempt with his new roommate, and then makes zero attempts to find anyone else. Then he runs across Jean and is infatuated with his looks but makes zero attempts to do anything there either. He mentions having a mother and grandmother at the beginning, but almost never thinks of them or brings them up again. Even his landlady is the one writing the letters to them to let them know how he's doing. He's extremely passive, letting life happen to him, and he's almost an empty shell when it comes to introspection.

Claude and Jean aren't very interesting characters either. Claude's bitter. Jean's an opportunist, using Anders to further his own profession (hustling), even charging Anders when Anders sells his own products. Then David comes along and decides to use Anders too. At that point, I didn't care about Anders at all anymore. He was just letting himself be jerked around and taking zero initiative for his own life, and I didn't even get any inner turmoil or introspection about him to tell me why or give me any reason to empathize with.

And while I enjoy going out and taking pictures, reading about photography is just not that interesting, even - or especially - when it's semi-pornographic. The porn industry doesn't interest me in the slightest either, and I just wasn't feeling up to slogging through any more of this to see if anything interesting actually happens at some point.

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why in Paris? is the second book I’ve read by Harry F. Rey, and I’m stunned by the beauty of his writing. I’m honestly a bit overwhelmed, but will do my best to express what I can, if only to get the word out to as many folks as possible as to this title! Hopefully I can impart how Why in Paris? is truly extraordinary, and why it touched me so deeply.

My favorite aspect of reading historical fiction is when the author paints a vivid and realistic picture, and creates an atmosphere so true to life that it feels like I’m actually there. I want to feel the cobblestones beneath my feet, see the reflection of the lights on the river, and hear the laughter of the tourists in the street.

Everyone who has the chance to experience Paris, understands how magnificent she is. Calling deep into the heart of a very specific breed, those with the title Parisiens, wear it proudly. With a history so diverse, I think it would be hard to pinpoint any singular era as “unique”, but surely those who withstood the after-effects of World War I are in a class by themselves.

So when Anders arrives in Montmartre in 1936, sharing a room above a gay bar, surrounded by whores and artists and political activists…, well, this is simply the norm in Paris. Why in Paris? Literally, it could only be in Paris.

In Why in Paris?, Harry F. Rey explores every aspect of the human experience. Lust, greed, friendship, fate, love… and freedom. And at its most basic form, the human right of freedom from persecution, of course. Beyond that, the complexities of all varieties of artistic expression are questioned. What does it mean to be free to pursue, enjoy, react, and reject all manner of art?

As a photography student, Anders examines the purpose of art, and the singular nature of photography, as he attempts to carve himself a place in the world. While the events which lead up to the Nazi occupation unfold, Anders is forced to do what he must to survive.

With his aspirations and ideals challenged again and again, Anders navigates the forces which cause his exhilarating spiral to its climactic end. It’s an incredible journey, and I’d love to imagine even a fraction of Anders’ story could have actually happened.

The amount of research that went into Why in Paris?, the skill of crafting this amazing tale, and the depth to which Anders and his companions explore their world, leaves me breathless. Harry F. Rey, you have moved me to tears, and my head is still spinning. Bravo!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really thought this was a wonderful book. A hidden Gem. If you are big on historically accurate books it might not be for you but if you can simply enjoy fiction mixed with history, well written characters and an intriguing storyline I recommend this book.

I’ll also be checking out this, new to me, author’s other works.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, a plodding and quite boring 'romp' around WW2 Paris.

I really found the characters flat, and I didn't have any empathy for them, sadly.

I wanted Anders to be more three-dimensional as the book progressed, but he just stayed the same throughout.

[Fearne Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why in Paris? Why not? Oh my goodness, for lovers of queer historical romance, there is so much to enjoy here!
Harry F Rey beautifully captures the post-Bohemian vibe of districts of Paris (and a cast of characters) usually hidden from tourists. The scene-setting in the run up to WW2 was 'chefs kiss'. I loved Anders innocence, the bitchiness of Claude (I kind of fell in love with Claude from the first page) and the delicious beauty of Jean. The interplay between the three of them had me hooked. A hard recommend.

[Brittanie]

DNF at 50%. The premise and setting were interesting but I couldn't engage with any of the characters and not a whole lot was happening in the narrative. The lead character had escaped Vienna to come to not-yet-occupied Paris during the Nazi uprising but then it was just a boring day-in-the-life-of narrative about a photographer turned pornagrapher. I'm not sure how you can make WWII boring for a homosexual Jewish pornographer but here we are.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - this was very unexpected. And exceptionally good. I dont think I have read anything so provocative or thoughtful in a very long time. The story is intricate and I think I held my breath from beginning to end, such was the exquisite writing that left me waiting for the axe to fall on these wonderfully colourful characters. I dont think I can do full justice to this author or his gift to the written word and story-telling, but I can highly recommend this book and will definately be buying more of his. Thankyou for this experience.

[Jordan Clayden-Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read much historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this new one by Harry, not only because it touched on some very interesting queer themes, but because of the way the writing took me on a journey into the WWII era.

The prose is sublime and the unique story itself kept me interested until the end. Really loved the photographer-model dynamic!

Thank you to Harry F. Rey and Encircle Publications for the ARC in return for this honest review.

[Dieter Moitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been provided for free by the author. The review below has also been published on Rainbow Book Reviews.

I want to be perfectly honest, which is what readers of my reviews would only expect: I started reading this novel very reluctantly, despite having read loads of other books by the same author without even once having been let down. Harry F. Rey allowed me to discover his amazing writing skills in genres as different as space operas, steamy political thrillers with a wry twist, and heartfelt romances. And yet. I had several apprehensions about this particular book because I knew what a deathtrap the historical setting and subject were. To capture the essence of Paris before and during the Second World War, more importantly from the point of view of a Jewish main character, could lead to so many cringe-worthy errors: anachronisms, overt milking of sensationalist and fake-feeling emotionalism, loftiness in the face of such a dangerous, serious situation. Anything and everything could go wrong, and I clearly would have hated it to happen.

But sometimes one needs to trust one’s previous judgements (meaning, up to now I loved every single Harry F. Rey book I read) and wave one’s fears away. Because the author delivered a genuine masterpiece with this novel. He created a touching, engaging main character in the fictional person of Anders, a still closeted young gay man from Vienna who moves to Paris officially to study art, but in reality because he wants to explore his true self. As if magnetically drawn to the place, he ends up in a small flat above a gay bar in Montmartre, which was still the idealized epitome of Bohemian lifestyle in those years. Instead of excelling in drawing and painting, he starts probing the new art media that is photography, and turns out to be quite skilled. He namely encounters a breathtakingly handsome black hustler named Jean—his ideal of beauty and sexuality—with whom he falls deeply and despairingly in love—apparently unrequited love—while making him his main muse and model.

Soon, his artistic half-nudes, which he is selling pretty much under the table, gain Anders access to the refined artistic circle evolving around an American couple, David and Hella Roosevelt. David manages to convince Anders that he should take his photos of Jean to the next level, from seminude to nude, nay to pornographic; David has the means and connections to sell them for hefty sums to interested clients in the USA. While the money comes flowing in, Anders and Jean’s relationship becomes a mere business association, however, so Anders finally takes the plunge and starts exploring his sexuality with other men. And that’s when the war breaks out…

Everything in this book was cleverly done, skilfully, delicately, sensitively, subtly. No anachronism neither in setting nor development nor tone nor vocabulary; things fell into place with a logical fluidity that really impressed me. No cheap, fake-feeling emotions or plot developments, either. Whatever suspense there was, and indeed some parts left me reading with bated breath, occurred almost naturally, like preordained by what happened before and what the current historical situation demanded. Many scenes popped up as inevitably as in an ancient Greek tragedy. The main character Anders is not only trying to come to terms with his true self as a gay man and as a Jew in an increasingly hostile surrounding, but he is also on the lookout for love (a universal theme if there ever was one) and for the meaning of his life. He starts out quite clueless, with only vague notions of his inner urge to search for beauty and truth (which is what defines an artist), drifts around, lets himself be carried on and away, until he becomes much more active, takes decisions, and owns them. An amazing evolution to witness.

The story with his love interest, Jean, follows the same rules as the rest of the plot and subplots. It flows beautifully (if not always according to what my über-romantic heart was pining for), with not a single wrong note. The secondary characters included, to my utter surprise, such famous artists as Jean Cocteau and his lover Jean Marais, who aren’t added for folklore, but become if not central, then at least very important to the whole story (and let me just say, they fit in as seamlessly and perfectly as the rest of the cast). What impressed me most was the ease with which Harry F. Rey brought all these people together, made them join the storyline, had them discuss sometimes highly philosophical subjects with what really felt like genuine sentences that any of them could have said in that particular time and place, not only where content, but also where the form of the dialogs were concerned. The second thing that stood out was the author’s almost visceral understanding of that particular historical period in that particular geographical setting—whatever character I stumbled upon, be it only a fleetingly introduced extra, gave me the impression that I understood them. No one was entirely black or white, everybody just felt so human, even the fiercest Nazi monster (the author and I seem to share the conviction that the most horrid monster remains, in fact, human, which makes them and their deeds, thoughts, and reactions even more horrid). There was no wagged finger, no frowning with the moral superiority our posterity makes possible (and easy). In the scenes that made me gasp with fright or outrage, I always and immediately asked myself the question, “What else could anyone have done? What would I have done, anyway?” A question to which, often, there is no simple answer, if we are being honest.

This is currently, I guess, my favorite Harry F. Rey novel, his most literary, most mature work. I highly recommend it not only for lovers of historical fiction, but simply to all those who love a perfectly well-written, well-researched book that grabs the reader’s attention from the first to the last page, takes them on an unforgettable journey, and keeps lingering in their mind for a long time afterwards.

[Trish Skywalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute tour de force. Harry F. Rey brings the reader to Paris in the 1930’s, where a young Austrian named Anders comes to pursue his dream of being an artist. Armed with a camera and a desire for freedom, Anders embraces his new home with affection.
Anders makes a fascinating group of friends throughout this novel. The beautiful wannabe model Jean, sex worker (and incredibly fun and fabulous) Claude, the fantastic David and Hella. Anders throws himself into photographing the beautiful city and its inhabitants, making a go at his art while searching for love and friendship.
Paris changed completely at the turn of the decade with the Nazis moving into Paris. With the occupation comes anxiety, struggles, and a whole new way of life for Anders and his found family. Every day they are at risk, though they find their ways to stay in safety and good graces.
This book was a fascinating look at the history of Paris in the 30’s and 40’s, with a mix of the lives of fictional characters with true historical events. You feel the joy, the fear, and every high and low with these characters.
This book shows a found family at the most difficult point in all of their lives, and how they stay together through hell or high water to make it through

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This sweeping saga of artistic Paris during WW2 is written from the point of view of Anders, a young Jewish man from Vienna, ostensibly sent to Paris by his mother to study art (but mainly to get him to a place of safety as war looms).

Anders, a budding photographer, is a wonderful observer of the louche Montmartre gay scene as he becomes increasingly entangled with the artists of the high-bohemian set shortly before Paris falls.

This is a beautifully written broad canvas, both a character study (I thoroughly enjoyed how real-life figures intermingled with fictional characters) and a vivid depiction of a certain time and place. The research was faultless and this was a completely absorbing read.

[Doc R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless

This story is beautiful, provocative, compelling because of the parallels to our current world. It asks the question of how people quickly adhere to movement and justify their cruelty. But it also suggests art- Paris as a bastion of art can be a lifeline through the darkness of human cruelty. I hope everyone reads this book.

[Mariela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was a bit underwhelming and felt rushed, but enjoyed reading this book a lot, specially the second act.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpectedly - and very - good read!

[Tim Zin · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Edit: 🤯 wait, so is this a prequel set in the same world as 'Giovanni's Room'?

2023 Review: I enjoyed this book so much. Set in WW2 Paris, a group of gay men open a straight brothel to avert the punishing eye of the Nazi occupiers.