Almost a novel-in-stories, this collection is a complex, warmly rendered portrait of kuir men and women navigating—both internally and externally—relationships and feelings in Turkey from the 1980s through the aughts. An outstanding and stellar collection.
~Lisa Williams, poet and series editor of the University Press of Kentucky New Poetry and Prose Series
With clear, spare prose, these stories are told with both great immediacy and tenderness. A stellar debut.
~Scott Alexander Hess, author of A Season in Delhi
Sweet Tooth is that rare linked collection with the emotional heft of an epic novel. With great insight, compassion, and artistry, Serkan Görkemli traces his queer protagonists over three decades, across the small towns and big cities of Turkey, as they navigate the shifting landscapes of their country and their hearts, from childhood recognition to mature love. I savored its bittersweet offerings and was left craving for more.
~Nawaaz Ahmed, author of PEN/Faulkner finalist Radiant Fugitives
Serkan Görkemli's delicately crafted stories limn the lives of four Turkish queer characters, from the 1980s through the early 21st century, as they weave in and out of each other's orbits and the era's social and political upheavals. On their journeys from youth to adulthood, they collide with their culture's construct of masculinity but still manage to navigate identity, desire, and relationships. Görkemli's prose is sometimes spare, often funny, and always quietly shimmering. A beautiful collection.
~Paula Martinac, award-winning author of The Ada Decades and Testimony
Serkan Gorkemli's Sweet Tooth and Other Stories arrives at a pivotal, and interesting, point in both Turkish and American politics. Its arrival at this pivotal moment makes the short story collection's advocacy for queerness and queer allyship even more important.... Inspiring—and encouraging. It reminds readers that in the face of adversity, love truly can make all the difference and conquer hate—and education and hope are key.
~Tupelo Quarterly
Through impressionistic, precise prose worthy of being called Chekhovian, Görkemli sketches moments of ordinary struggle and recognition as his characters find their footing in a changing Turkey.... Despite balancing several perspectives, the chronologically arranged collection unfolds with natural cohesion. It's worth approaching like a satisfying novel or well-balanced album—in order, from start to finish—to appreciate the progression of these characters' journeys through time.
~Electric Lit
