Book Reviews

Book Blurb

In 52 short stories, Jan Ranft takes you on an emotional journey through the queer worlds of Germany and the U.S. These tales explore gay men’s experiences with love, loss, friendship, and the search for happiness—sometimes tender, sometimes raw, and always deeply human. From moments of humor to heartbreak, erotic passion to quiet romance, each story offers a unique glimpse into the joys and struggles of connection. With unvarnished honesty and relatable depth, his collection captures the many facets of gay men’s lives and loves.

Look forward to a laid-back bumper car boy, gay werewolves, a desperate mother, a fairy godmother, the crazy king of plush toys, and a seemingly lost future.

Jan Ranft lives and works in Saarbrücken, Germany. He has published over a hundred short stories so far.

Book Review

Jan Ranft is a German author. His tales delve into the experience of gay men, exploring encounters and loss, love, sex, friendship, and the quest for happiness. They are sometimes serious, sometimes humorous and fantastical, mostly drawn from life – raw, unvarnished, and occasionally uncomfortable. The following stories were originally published in German and translated into English. When feasible, many of these more than 50 stories have been relocated into the US. 

 

As the author has titled the collection 'Yogurt,' we'll begin with that story. Tom, the hero, stops at his local supermarket to shop for household needs, but also because a particularly attractive man works there.  Tom muses: “Why does he have to look so outrageously good?  Easily the hottest guy in this part of the galaxy…”

 

This is followed by Tom’s serious consideration of the variety of yogurt on offer, and whether he will share the sole remaining yogurt’s fate (?), acknowledging to himself that life is like a big fridge. Tom converses with a woman shopper, though he is through and through gay – or “tittyblind.” He then focuses on the original object of his interest. Focusing on the supermarket employee, Tom employs his sixth sense to identify the man as gay – and fantasizes quitting his job and starting work in the supermarket with the object of his attraction) just waiting to be fed.

 

The presentation of Tom’s inner thoughts is captivating, but sometimes frightening. It presents Tom’s mind without ordinary societal limitations or polite mores.

 

This review will also look at a few of the short offerings – recognizing that a full explication of each would cause this review to outweigh the author’s subject matter. Sufficient to say the collection is bright, commanding, and an exemplar of writing.

 

But here are a few offerings. ‘Homo' the initial tale, occurs in pre-history, and is an appropriate bookend. It introduces a gay attraction among our ancestors. 'Milquetoast' transports us to Pearl Harbor and WWII in a most petit offering. '175er' is a tale of German soldiers in WWII and the relationship to gay war prisoners. 'Hausfrau' concerns transvestism! The stories are an eclectic mix of varying satisfaction. There are so many, and in some subsequent entries, earlier characters reappear. Many of the pieces in this collection will be akin to snacking on a bag of mixed raisins and nuts, each handful unique and passingly entertaining. The reading is easy and the entries are remarkably short – making for quick reading in the bus, during lunch, in the rest room.

 

For those who remember the cinema hit Spartacus, there is a classic public baths seduction scene in which Laurence Olivier poses a sexual inuendo to slave Tony Curtis - whether “snails or oysters” are preferable. The scene was struck, only to be restored in 1991. This collection of current tales is significantly less problematic, so read with pleasure.     

                               

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	paperback
Length	Collection, 232 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-January-2025
Price	$12.00 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Yogurt-hard-swallow-short-stories/dp/B0DTY9MYHF