The eight short stories in Dirty Works go beyond showing how gay culture has blossomed in Taiwan over the last sixty years to also show how it has interfered with, misread, and even rewritten Taiwan’s history. The characters in Dirty Works seek freedom in sex, free themselves from authoritarianism through BDSM, and rebuild the country with love. Readers are sure to find the plots of these stories offensive to nationalism, politics, and religious beliefs.
These stories are set at historical moments in the struggle to upend and reform Taiwan’s political and social landscape. The sense of humor in Dirty Works transforms serious topics into funny queer jokes.