Joel

What happens when the experiences that shape us don’t necessarily change what we desire?

In Joel, Tracey Parker wakes up in the bed of a friend with benefits the morning after Mexico’s victory in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted at Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca. The morning after leaves him reflecting on the complicated relationship between what his experiences with men in Mexico City have taught him and what he still finds himself attracted to.

Over the course of this intimate novella, we follow Tracey through the streets of his beloved Mexico City, a sprawling, endlessly fascinating metropolis that comes alive through his vivid visual descriptions and candid observations.

Along the way, he considers the realities of being a sexually active gay man in one of the world’s most thought-provoking cities: the encounters, contradictions, desires, and everyday questions that make intimacy as complicated as it is compelling.

Personal, observant, and unafraid to look inward, Joel is both a portrait of gay life in contemporary Mexico City and a journey into the distance between what we learn about ourselves and what we continue to want.

After purchase you will receive a .pdf and an .ePub (for reading in e-readers)