"Atkins weaves together history, architectural theories, gender studies, colonial practices, and even Confucian dualities into a compelling narrative that feels like a novel. The book illustrates the remarkable changes in the region's history through the

"One rarely reads a book compelling as a thriller yet as probing as a scholarly study. The book is remarkably satisfying, especially in terms of the author's using disparate landmarks to arrive at a single destination--mapping a new reality of interconnect

"Homosexuality in Southeast Asia has been studied mostly as developments in individual countries within the region. Atkins has skillfully deployed a storytelling device of several protagonists' common attempts to create a 'paradise' for gay men--Bali, Bang

Gary L. Atkins is a professor of communication at Seattle University in the United States. He is the author of Gay Seattle Stories of Exile and Belonging.