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Far from Home
Far from Home is a collection of twelve short stories, taking the reader on a journey from the desert sands of the Middle East to a forbidden Caribbean island, and many points in between.
Though two of the stories are set in the U.S., others find gay people dealing with life in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Spain, Turkey, Cuba, Mexico, and the Netherlands, places where the characters are physically and psychologically far from the comfort of home. The stories focus on people suffering alienation, confusion, violence, loss, and sometimes sweet encounters in the eternal search for love while they travel or live in other cultures.
Though two of the stories are set in the U.S., others find gay people dealing with life in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Spain, Turkey, Cuba, Mexico, and the Netherlands, places where the characters are physically and psychologically far from the comfort of home. The stories focus on people suffering alienation, confusion, violence, loss, and sometimes sweet encounters in the eternal search for love while they travel or live in other cultures.
241 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2021
About the author
Vincent Traughber Meis
14 books30 followersSince Vincent Traughber Meis (previously wrote under the name Vincent Meis) grew up in Decatur, Illinois. He has written plays, short stories and novels. After graduating from Tulane University, he worked on a number of short stories and a couple of novels. It was finally in the 1980’s and 90’s that he saw his first bylines in several published pieces, mostly travel articles, but also a few poems and book reviews, in publications such as, The Advocate, LA Weekly, In Style, and Our World. As he was traveling extensively and living overseas in Spain and Saudi Arabia where he taught English as a Second Language, so many of his articles, stories and later novels, deal with the gay experience in other cultures. In 1991 he started teaching English at City College of San Francisco.
In 2011, he took an early retirement from City College and began to seriously publishing his work. Since that time he has published ten novels: Eddie’s Desert Rose, Tio Jorge, Down in Cuba, Deluge, Four Calling Burds, The Mayor of Oak Street, First Born Sons, Colton’s Terrible Wonderful Year, and The Long Journey to You. Tio Jorge, Down in Cuba, and Deluge have all won Rainbow Awards. The Mayor of Oak Street and First Born Sons have won Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards. His short stories have appeared in several collections both in print and online and have reached finalist status in several short story contests. A collection of short stories, Far from Home, was published in October 2021. A translation into Spanish of Iguana came out in February 2026. He lives with his husband in Oakland, California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
In 2011, he took an early retirement from City College and began to seriously publishing his work. Since that time he has published ten novels: Eddie’s Desert Rose, Tio Jorge, Down in Cuba, Deluge, Four Calling Burds, The Mayor of Oak Street, First Born Sons, Colton’s Terrible Wonderful Year, and The Long Journey to You. Tio Jorge, Down in Cuba, and Deluge have all won Rainbow Awards. The Mayor of Oak Street and First Born Sons have won Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards. His short stories have appeared in several collections both in print and online and have reached finalist status in several short story contests. A collection of short stories, Far from Home, was published in October 2021. A translation into Spanish of Iguana came out in February 2026. He lives with his husband in Oakland, California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 26, 2023
Far From Home is a collection of twelve short stories about LGBTQIA+ people from around the world, mostly homosexual men, trying to go about their daily lives while living in places where their gender and sexual orientation puts them in different types of dangers.
Two of these stories are set in the US, the home country of the respective main characters, but even after that their lives are comparable to those that have left for foreign lands. The safety that one's home should provide is clearly lacking while the individuals navigate their ways in life.
This book was all about the lives and journeys of individuals belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, but it was also about love - the literal and the perceived. So often, our definition of love and where and in whom to find it is dictated by the society. Most of us have to fight these to not just experience love but to also be able to keep it. This book portrays that in such a beautiful but often heartbreaking way.
Like Vincent's other books, this collection of short stories seemed we'll researched and I loved delving into the lives of all the characters. I wish all endings were happy but fiction imitates reality. The characters, as for real people, are often in their own countries, their houses, but it isn't home if an individual is not safe and loved, is it?
Recommended.
Two of these stories are set in the US, the home country of the respective main characters, but even after that their lives are comparable to those that have left for foreign lands. The safety that one's home should provide is clearly lacking while the individuals navigate their ways in life.
This book was all about the lives and journeys of individuals belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, but it was also about love - the literal and the perceived. So often, our definition of love and where and in whom to find it is dictated by the society. Most of us have to fight these to not just experience love but to also be able to keep it. This book portrays that in such a beautiful but often heartbreaking way.
Like Vincent's other books, this collection of short stories seemed we'll researched and I loved delving into the lives of all the characters. I wish all endings were happy but fiction imitates reality. The characters, as for real people, are often in their own countries, their houses, but it isn't home if an individual is not safe and loved, is it?
Recommended.
December 31, 2021
In the agonizing final moments of Les Misérables, Jean Val Jean utters what is perhaps the most profound truth regarding the existence of a higher power. With his last breath, Val Jean proclaims, “to love another person is to see the face of God”. Nothing can be purer. We need no other deity than that—love. Especially now. Love is what the world seems to lack at this moment in history. Complicating matters is the delusion among a vocal and oft violent social subset that love can only be pure if it is between a man and a woman. Really? While not as prominent as they once were, the voices of prejudice still ring out in many parts of the world. The truth is that love between consenting adults is pure, no matter the combination of naughty bits involved. It may not be easy. It may not be permanent. It may be a battlefield. But it is the purest of all emotions.
Far From Home is a collection of LGBTQ short stories tackling the agony and ecstasy that is love. Author Vincent Traughber Meis takes us around the world to look at how people find one another and transcend social stigmas. Not all the stories contained within the collection end on a high note; but that’s the other truth about love—it’s a double-edged sword. It may be pure, but it can also be vicious. Meis takes the time to outline the surroundings of the characters and establish the world in which they live. This is another positive to the collection. The author details landscapes and histories, but also dives into cultural stigmas surrounding homosexuality. In many of the stories, more time is dedicated to explaining a particular society’s view on same-sex relationships than is dedicated to the characters themselves. This is vital in order to establish atmosphere, and the author does it well.
These stories are not deeply emotional explorations of star-crossed lovers finding one another amid changing times, nor are they archetypal bodice-ripping trash. In fact, sexual activities are less prominent than the personal connection between characters. These are stories about real people in real situations. This means that not every story will appeal to every reader. There are a few that seem rather underdone. Some are downright scandalous. What makes this collection unique, is that it takes the reader away from the confines of the United States and its comparatively liberal stance on same sex relationships and travels to distant shores. Some of the cultures depicted in this collection still consider homosexuality anathema—criminal, as it once was in the United States. Meis draws from his own real-life experiences and stories collected from people he encountered on his travels. The names and situations have been altered to provide anonymity and add to the narrative structure.
I recommend this collection for any who wish to see what its like to be gay outside the United States.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Far From Home is a collection of LGBTQ short stories tackling the agony and ecstasy that is love. Author Vincent Traughber Meis takes us around the world to look at how people find one another and transcend social stigmas. Not all the stories contained within the collection end on a high note; but that’s the other truth about love—it’s a double-edged sword. It may be pure, but it can also be vicious. Meis takes the time to outline the surroundings of the characters and establish the world in which they live. This is another positive to the collection. The author details landscapes and histories, but also dives into cultural stigmas surrounding homosexuality. In many of the stories, more time is dedicated to explaining a particular society’s view on same-sex relationships than is dedicated to the characters themselves. This is vital in order to establish atmosphere, and the author does it well.
These stories are not deeply emotional explorations of star-crossed lovers finding one another amid changing times, nor are they archetypal bodice-ripping trash. In fact, sexual activities are less prominent than the personal connection between characters. These are stories about real people in real situations. This means that not every story will appeal to every reader. There are a few that seem rather underdone. Some are downright scandalous. What makes this collection unique, is that it takes the reader away from the confines of the United States and its comparatively liberal stance on same sex relationships and travels to distant shores. Some of the cultures depicted in this collection still consider homosexuality anathema—criminal, as it once was in the United States. Meis draws from his own real-life experiences and stories collected from people he encountered on his travels. The names and situations have been altered to provide anonymity and add to the narrative structure.
I recommend this collection for any who wish to see what its like to be gay outside the United States.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 27, 2021
“Coming out doesn’t necessarily make you happy “
“I know. But not coming out can make you more miserable,especially when you’ve identified, at least to yourself, that glitch in your life “
This is not my first time reading a book about the LGBTQ community. But I do get the characters’ frustrations, sadness , fear and more in each story. It is definitely different when you read a story from the LGBTQ community’s point of views. The author describes the setting more than what ha ppened in the relationship. It felt like I was in a journey with each individual. I think this book is good for those who want to read from the LGBTQ community’s point of view. A light read with loads of hidden messages. The book shows that no matter what your background & faith are , you can belong in the community.
I was reminded that :-
1. Ego gets you nowhere.
2. Never judge.
3. Ignore toxic people.
4. Everyone has their own problems to deal with.
5. No one is perfect and never expect to be perfect.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
“I know. But not coming out can make you more miserable,especially when you’ve identified, at least to yourself, that glitch in your life “
This is not my first time reading a book about the LGBTQ community. But I do get the characters’ frustrations, sadness , fear and more in each story. It is definitely different when you read a story from the LGBTQ community’s point of views. The author describes the setting more than what ha ppened in the relationship. It felt like I was in a journey with each individual. I think this book is good for those who want to read from the LGBTQ community’s point of view. A light read with loads of hidden messages. The book shows that no matter what your background & faith are , you can belong in the community.
I was reminded that :-
1. Ego gets you nowhere.
2. Never judge.
3. Ignore toxic people.
4. Everyone has their own problems to deal with.
5. No one is perfect and never expect to be perfect.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 27, 2022
Far from Home is a nice collection of short stories. Most of them were really good, yet a bit depressing. There were also a couple of stories that were somewhat confusing, and it took me some time and rereading to really understand them. All stories combined, I'd rate it 3.5 stars.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 3, 2022
FAR FROM HOME, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY
The twelve stories in Vincent Traughber Meis’s Far from Home intimately involve the reader in their American gay protagonists’ experiences with gender and sexual orientation in foreign cultures. Several stories take place in Saudi Arabia, several in Cuba, with other stories set in Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Mexico. Two stories occur in the United States, which can be just as dangerous, if not more so, for gay and gender-nonconforming people as any foreign country can be. Thus, Meis’s title, Far from Home, infers much more than its literal meaning.
Although Meis surely writes from his own first-hand knowledge of the cultures in which he places his stories, as in his superb description of the exotic markets in Saudi Arabia in “Market Day in Qatif,” his stories are not mere travelogues. The American characters’ lives in these stories sometimes become almost inextricably connected with people in the various foreign cultures in which they find themselves.
In the fascinating “Venceremos Brigade,” Byron, whose black lover was murdered in the Southern U.S., joins a group of Americans who go to Cuba to work in the sugar cane fields to help support the revolution. Byron’s incipient gayness is awakened by Rafael, a Cuban American, who is sincere in his love for Byron. What will Byron do?
Perhaps the darkest of the stories in Far from Home is one of the two stories set in the United States. Dwayne, a middle-aged Vietnam veteran trying to hold it together in the San Francisco Bay area, is suddenly confronted by Billy, his extremely troubled gay son, who needs help in evading the law. We’re in America. Billy has a gun. What could go wrong?
In “Cruising,” the only story in Far from Home that is not about gay men, May Burd passes as a man in the Netherlands. At one point in the story, she says, “I wondered if it was more dangerous to be a woman or perceived as a gay man.” She finds out.
“Shelter in Place” takes place in Barcelona on lockdown from COVID. “Manama Christmas” is told from the point of view of Sydney, who has moved with her husband to Saudi Arabia, where he teaches at a university. She makes many perceptive observations about the treatment of women in this extremely patriarchal and misogynistic society. She also discovers her husband’s secret.
The narrator in “Blade of Grass” is a photographer covering the Kirkpinar Wrestling Championships in Turkey. He is helped to recover from a scooter accident by one of the wrestlers in the competition who has learned the passing of hands from his grandma. “Miguel Mio” is a heartwarming story set in Mexico from which two sentences have remained with me: The first, “The butterfly settled in his thick dark hair.” The second, “We were from different worlds, but we were part of a community.” These two stories are more romantic than the other stories in Far from Home.
I’ve only mentioned half of the twelve engaging stories in Far from Home. Pick up a copy and settle down to accompany the narrators and protagonists on their journeys to foreign lands and to, hopefully, life-changing self-discovery.
The twelve stories in Vincent Traughber Meis’s Far from Home intimately involve the reader in their American gay protagonists’ experiences with gender and sexual orientation in foreign cultures. Several stories take place in Saudi Arabia, several in Cuba, with other stories set in Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Mexico. Two stories occur in the United States, which can be just as dangerous, if not more so, for gay and gender-nonconforming people as any foreign country can be. Thus, Meis’s title, Far from Home, infers much more than its literal meaning.
Although Meis surely writes from his own first-hand knowledge of the cultures in which he places his stories, as in his superb description of the exotic markets in Saudi Arabia in “Market Day in Qatif,” his stories are not mere travelogues. The American characters’ lives in these stories sometimes become almost inextricably connected with people in the various foreign cultures in which they find themselves.
In the fascinating “Venceremos Brigade,” Byron, whose black lover was murdered in the Southern U.S., joins a group of Americans who go to Cuba to work in the sugar cane fields to help support the revolution. Byron’s incipient gayness is awakened by Rafael, a Cuban American, who is sincere in his love for Byron. What will Byron do?
Perhaps the darkest of the stories in Far from Home is one of the two stories set in the United States. Dwayne, a middle-aged Vietnam veteran trying to hold it together in the San Francisco Bay area, is suddenly confronted by Billy, his extremely troubled gay son, who needs help in evading the law. We’re in America. Billy has a gun. What could go wrong?
In “Cruising,” the only story in Far from Home that is not about gay men, May Burd passes as a man in the Netherlands. At one point in the story, she says, “I wondered if it was more dangerous to be a woman or perceived as a gay man.” She finds out.
“Shelter in Place” takes place in Barcelona on lockdown from COVID. “Manama Christmas” is told from the point of view of Sydney, who has moved with her husband to Saudi Arabia, where he teaches at a university. She makes many perceptive observations about the treatment of women in this extremely patriarchal and misogynistic society. She also discovers her husband’s secret.
The narrator in “Blade of Grass” is a photographer covering the Kirkpinar Wrestling Championships in Turkey. He is helped to recover from a scooter accident by one of the wrestlers in the competition who has learned the passing of hands from his grandma. “Miguel Mio” is a heartwarming story set in Mexico from which two sentences have remained with me: The first, “The butterfly settled in his thick dark hair.” The second, “We were from different worlds, but we were part of a community.” These two stories are more romantic than the other stories in Far from Home.
I’ve only mentioned half of the twelve engaging stories in Far from Home. Pick up a copy and settle down to accompany the narrators and protagonists on their journeys to foreign lands and to, hopefully, life-changing self-discovery.
May 8, 2022
Far from Home left me with mixed feelings. Like waiting two hours to get service in a restaurant you know has good food.
I liked how unabashedly self-aware each protagonist was regarding their sexuality. There's not much dancing around that, the angst being driven instead by character actions and reflections. That made the shift toward the protagonists who weren't gay feel seamless. Helped give another perspective regarding social acceptance of LGBTQ+ as a whole.
Sex isn't heavy on character motivation either. Nor is it the driving force of drama for most stories. Meis prefers to highlight the day to day struggle of the mundane life. No space adventures, only one fantasy trip. Grounded stories like these are hard to find sometimes, and I enjoyed that for a LGBTQ+ collection.
I'm ignorant of most music. Whenever a song is called out by name, I enjoyed listening to a tune I didn't know the name to before. Nice dual participation and brain stimulation there for me.
What trips up my enthrallment are the three major traits for protagonists in almost every short story:
* Caucasian
* college educated or high school educated
* middle-class
I couldn't get away from that feeling that many protagonists felt like different shades of the same person, especially when a majority came from similar origins (North American, from the Midwest farm country or from a major city working abroad).
When I was reminded for the third time of Middle East male affection being different from the North American social norms, I wondered if there would be a protagonist who would be ignorant to that observation for a distinct voice. Every protagonist had the same dry traveler savvy.
Stories are like brick patterns. Characters are built up and up. Often in the last page of a story, there's an interesting revelation that changes the narrative's tempo and tone. Meis favors the conservative approach, with characters often telling us an ending or hinting at one. Linear beginning, middle, end. Many times I wondered how characters would dance if the shocking revelation was made first. How different the telling would feel.
These are traits that stuck out to me as they are presented within a collection. Individually presented, I probably wouldn't comment on them as much.
Far from Home left me wondering of the possibilities of Meis's writing. I can see he favors structure and logic. His writing is clear. Gets the point across. I'm wondering how his writing would feel if he could go deeper. Grab those characters' guts and scrawl them onto the page. Visceral feelings that are hard to capture. Looking forward to when I can feel that with his storytelling.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked how unabashedly self-aware each protagonist was regarding their sexuality. There's not much dancing around that, the angst being driven instead by character actions and reflections. That made the shift toward the protagonists who weren't gay feel seamless. Helped give another perspective regarding social acceptance of LGBTQ+ as a whole.
Sex isn't heavy on character motivation either. Nor is it the driving force of drama for most stories. Meis prefers to highlight the day to day struggle of the mundane life. No space adventures, only one fantasy trip. Grounded stories like these are hard to find sometimes, and I enjoyed that for a LGBTQ+ collection.
I'm ignorant of most music. Whenever a song is called out by name, I enjoyed listening to a tune I didn't know the name to before. Nice dual participation and brain stimulation there for me.
What trips up my enthrallment are the three major traits for protagonists in almost every short story:
* Caucasian
* college educated or high school educated
* middle-class
I couldn't get away from that feeling that many protagonists felt like different shades of the same person, especially when a majority came from similar origins (North American, from the Midwest farm country or from a major city working abroad).
When I was reminded for the third time of Middle East male affection being different from the North American social norms, I wondered if there would be a protagonist who would be ignorant to that observation for a distinct voice. Every protagonist had the same dry traveler savvy.
Stories are like brick patterns. Characters are built up and up. Often in the last page of a story, there's an interesting revelation that changes the narrative's tempo and tone. Meis favors the conservative approach, with characters often telling us an ending or hinting at one. Linear beginning, middle, end. Many times I wondered how characters would dance if the shocking revelation was made first. How different the telling would feel.
These are traits that stuck out to me as they are presented within a collection. Individually presented, I probably wouldn't comment on them as much.
Far from Home left me wondering of the possibilities of Meis's writing. I can see he favors structure and logic. His writing is clear. Gets the point across. I'm wondering how his writing would feel if he could go deeper. Grab those characters' guts and scrawl them onto the page. Visceral feelings that are hard to capture. Looking forward to when I can feel that with his storytelling.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 7, 2023
I enjoyed these short stories but it's quite hard to review as the stories have different meanings. They are all descriptive, showing fears of coming out, being seen as 'different' because of who you love or find attractive. Good insight into men growing up with gay feelings towards other men or a woman who wants to be a man. Lgbtq+ books don't bother me, I'm not offended by them but it gives a good perspective for thoughts and feelings for those involved.
Some scary stories of being beaten because they are gay and are targeted, I don't like the world we live in sometimes, making others' feel worthless because of their views, loves, likes and dislikes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Some scary stories of being beaten because they are gay and are targeted, I don't like the world we live in sometimes, making others' feel worthless because of their views, loves, likes and dislikes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 2, 2021
I received an advance review copy for free via booksirens.com , and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was an interesting collections of stories looking at the international LGBTQ+ community. This had a different tone than many other LGBTQ+ stories available on booksirens. This collection only had one or two passing references to actual sex, which was a refreshing change from all the bodice ripper (or maybe suit ripper or waistcoat rippers you get the point) stories on the site. Nothing wrong with a waistcoat ripper but variety is the spice of life. This collection spent more time exploring the complexities of being LGBTQ+ in other lands where being LGBTQ+ is not as accepted.
This was an interesting collections of stories looking at the international LGBTQ+ community. This had a different tone than many other LGBTQ+ stories available on booksirens. This collection only had one or two passing references to actual sex, which was a refreshing change from all the bodice ripper (or maybe suit ripper or waistcoat rippers you get the point) stories on the site. Nothing wrong with a waistcoat ripper but variety is the spice of life. This collection spent more time exploring the complexities of being LGBTQ+ in other lands where being LGBTQ+ is not as accepted.
November 18, 2021
Through a dozen short stories set in a variety of different locations around the world, this lovely, poignant and often bittersweet collection gives the reader brief glimpses into the lives of gay men searching for love and connection far from home. Many of these tales are inspired by the author's travels and periods spent living in the countries he takes his readers to, resulting in wonderfully realized settings. A few have apparently been adapted from some of his novels - which is good to know, as I will now promptly have to go check those out given how much I enjoyed this story collection.
*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
February 12, 2022
A thoughtful well-written collection of stories of forbidden love. The author takes us around the world to look at how people who would otherwise be denied love find each other. If you are curious about what it is like to be gay in a country other than the US, this is a good book for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 15, 2023
This book was a collection of short stories, facing real-life events. Coming out, facing the belief that homosexuality isn't a thing. Going to other countries and not fitting in. Having to face the losses of a loved one, jumping from place to place, and trying to fit in.
The last story in the book stuck with me because another man was comforting another man during the Cuban revolution and the head of it wanted to send them to a re-education camp for just being affectionate. Being a white man with blonde hair in Cuba was difficult to fit in. And he left the one person that cared for him to try and fit in somewhere, and process the loss of his loved one
The last story in the book stuck with me because another man was comforting another man during the Cuban revolution and the head of it wanted to send them to a re-education camp for just being affectionate. Being a white man with blonde hair in Cuba was difficult to fit in. And he left the one person that cared for him to try and fit in somewhere, and process the loss of his loved one
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews