Aside from Desire

Aside from Desire is a complete collection of Luke Hartwell's shorter fiction as of August 2025. Many of these stories also appear, with commentary from the characters, in Hartwell's novel Jeremy Bardon. "Handsome Johnny" provides a surprising follow-up to Atom Heart John Beloved. "Huddled Close" is a seductive addition to Love Underneath, while "And Then We Did the Stetson" is an astonishingly sexy postlude to "Michael." Also sizzling hot are "Huddled Close, " "The Angel, " and "Pillow Talk, " while "Pinocchio Lasconti, " "The Things We Do for Money, " and "Very Nearly Almost Dave" provide comic relief but maintain the sensuousness of Hartwell's prose and the depth of feeling and brilliant character creations that make his stories work.
Rounding out the collection are the previously published "Michael, " "Baby Self Hate, " and a rewritten "Two Baby Creek." The collection ends with the which-of-these-is-not-like-the-others "Hamster Wheels, " a gut-punching piece that will leave readers with plenty to contemplate.