Book Review: Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Chelsea Station Editions

Pages: 169

This collection of short fiction delves into the gay demimonde in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina. A variety of interesting characters—lawyers, supermarket clerks, drifters, painters and musicians, cabaret singers and writers—alternately dominate the pages and then fade into the background to let the main character, New Orleans, take center stage.

A litany of the city’s bars and restaurants and hangouts have a visceral hold on these men; even when they are far away from this magical city, the memory of it haunts them.

William Sterling Walker writes with wisdom and compassion. His vividly imagined characters seem to embody the ravenous spirit of the city they inhabit. These stories are intelligent and real. They are vibrant and written with carefully chosen words to evoke a mood, and also to touch something deep in the soul of the reader. 

http://williamsterlingwalker.com/

Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker

Reviewer: Bob Lind, Echo Magazine
Publisher: Chelsea Station Editions, November 2012
Pages: 186


Over the years, there are many gay stories that have been based in New Orleans, and for good reason. It is a unique city, with a highly diverse population which tends to embrace differences, forgive misdeeds and does what is necessary to live to one's potential. These factors are all present in this anthology of nine short stories by the author, dealing with New Orleans, before Hurricane Katrina's devastation. 

Though none of the stories are dependent on any other, there are some common themes and situations, and some of the characters referenced may seem to coincide. While all are about men from New Orleans, some gay and some not, two of the stories actually take place in New York City, with characters that clearly miss their original roots. The stories feature a variety of blue collar and white collar individuals, including some on the fringes of society, in any city. There are equal doses of wit, longing, poignancy, hope, seduction and loss, all woven together by this talented author. I give it a full five stars out of five. 

http://williamsterlingwalker.com/