The thirteen short stories and novella that make up The Fetish Collection are varied other than each including at least one unusual sexual preference. These range from ablutophilia (bathing) to zonaphilia (girdles). See below for synopses
and details of the paraphilias
that feature in each story.
The characters deal with issues at different stages of life including a boy who can’t understand why men stare at his mother, a student grappling with honesty, a priest who no longer has faith, grief in old age and a woman facing imminent death. Some stories feature explicit sexual scenes, others are coyer. Surprises abound.
The geographic spread is wide and the period covered stretches from WWII to the present day. The collection includes one modern Gothic tale, the prize-winning Folie à Deux.
The characters deal with issues at different stages of life including a boy who can’t understand why men stare at his mother, a student grappling with honesty, a priest who no longer has faith, grief in old age and a woman facing imminent death. Some stories feature explicit sexual scenes, others are coyer. Surprises abound.
The geographic spread is wide and the period covered stretches from WWII to the present day. The collection includes one modern Gothic tale, the prize-winning Folie à Deux.
Synopses
Folie à Deux A man addicted to affairs with married women and obsessed with intimate presents from their husbands follows a former a lover to a pub that he cannot find the next day.
The Ogling Men A young boy whose father has deserted his family goes on a trip to London. He notices men staring at his mother.
Fleeing South A teenager born in Iran finds a New Zealand born woman, the daughter of refugees, shivering in a park. A platonic relationship develops despite a thirty year age difference.
The Brothel Keepers A magistrate faces a dilemma when he realizes his clerk of court is the client of a dominatrix, one of two women appearing before him.
Moobs A young English bully and gang member stumbles across a video that fixates his sexual attention.
The Harimai Harem A prig retreats to the Coromandel Peninsula. His seclusion ends when he meets a dying man and the women friends he has gathered at his home.
Beholden A girl becomes desperate to escape Swansea after an older man takes advantage of her naivety. She goes to study in the Midlands and finds the generosity of new friends imparts a sense of obligation.
Father Sweet A priest finds breaking his vow of chastity has come back to haunt him. And just when he most needs his faith, it has slipped away from him.
La Belle Indifférence A ruthless businessman presses a friend from university days to assess his mother’s mental state and help find someone to treat her. In the process, the friend is transformed.
Glutted with Conceit A university dean, responding to a Kiwi cabinet minister, offers a professorship in return for a report that will close down a department. Hacking exposes the bias and makes life very uncomfortable for the new professor.
The Wife He Never Married A widower close to death from grief is saved by his niece arranging for a mature student to live with him. Her care and her story shape his response to falling in love.
Lurus vs. Lurus A failed rock musician turns to therapy to deal with issues that arise from his sexual preferences. What he learns makes him resent the pop-psychology course his boss sends him on.
More Sincere Than Is Proper An encounter at an anti-Vietnam war demonstration in Wellington leads a student to talk with the mother a young man who has gone to the U.S.A. to join the Marines.
The Order of Abraham A criminal becomes a minister and influential in a cult where an attempt to develop hyper-loyalty in potential leaders backfires.
A Life Reviewed A woman lies paralysed at the base of a cliff waiting for the tide to drown her. She reflects on her life, which was in part escaping the prudishness of her parents and discovering her sensuousness.
Paraphilias Appearing in The Stories And Their Settings
Folie à Deux ~ England. Married women and intimate gifts from their husbands.
The Ogling Men ~ England. Large breasts.
Fleeing South ~ New Zealand and Australia. Married men.
The Brothel Keepers ~ Location unspecified. Dominatrix.
Moobs ~ England. “Pearl necklaces”.
The Harimai Harem ~ Ablutophilia (bathing).
Beholden ~ Wales and England. Balloons and emetophilia (vomit).
Father Sweet ~ Location unspecified. Plushophilia (stuffed toys) and paedophilia.
La Belle Indifférence ~ England and Africa. Shoulders and sailing.
Glutted with Conceit ~ New Zealand and England. Buttocks, gigolos and obese women.
The Wife He Never Married ~ England and Italy. Dolls.
Lurus vs. Lurus ~ England. Sitophilia (food play), role playing a prostitute / customer, and leopard skin patterns.
More Sincere Than Is Proper ~ New Zealand. Painted toenails.
The Order of Abraham ~ Location unspecified. Spanking and zonaphilia (girdles).
A Life Reviewed; a novella ~ New Zealand and England. Orgasmophilia and osphresiolagnia (scents).
Note that zonaphilia
and orgasmophilia
are words minted for these stories.
