In the spring of 2012, Calum McSwiggan finds himself alone and heartbroken after a relationship of six years comes to an end.
Unsure of what to do next, he leaves the hometown he has known all his life to take up a job teaching English in Italy. What he doesn’t know is that this would be the start of a journey that would take him across the globe, from a beautiful family home on the outskirts of Rome to the underground sex clubs of Berlin, to the bustling streets of New Delhi and an animal sanctuary deep in the jungles of Thailand.
As Calum gets to know the ups and downs of life on the road as a single gay man, he will meet people from all walks of life and every part of the rainbow – an Italian teenager struggling with a homophobic father, a trans woman navigating life in Thailand, a young HIV-positive man living on the streets of London, among many others. Their stories will show Calum not just the different challenges faced by LGBT+ people everywhere, but also, in the face of incredible hardship and sorrow, the profound strength and joy that they all share.
A travel memoir with a difference, Eat, Gay, Love is a celebration of the power of community, and a personal tribute to the extraordinary lives of LGBT+ people all over the world.
“If you consider yourself an LGBT+ ally, you have to read this book. You think you know, but until you devour this insight into the LGBT+ community from somebody writing so openly and warmly within it, you don’t. This book is your invitation to do better, to understand deeper, and to be enthralled along the way. It opened my eyes and my heart.” Laura Jane Williams
"“An absolutely stunning book, I devoured every single word, I couldn’t put it down.” Luxeria
“Eat, Gay, Love is an all-absorbing voyage of LGBTQ+ discovery. I’m queer myself, but I learned more from Calum’s life than I expected to. His delicious writing took me by the hand and showed me what the world can look like for so many in my own community. A beautiful and important read.” Melanie Murphy
"Sweet and fun, with real emotional depth and a rousing, feisty spirit." Matt Cain
“This was a lovely read, the perfect book for a summer when travel is off the table. Calum took me to countries I have only dreamt of, he showed me the sights, introduced me to the locals and, most importantly, educated me on said countries LGBT+ rights and laws.” Olly Pike
“Eat, Gay, Love is beautifully written, and has made me intensely aware of how boring my own life is. Calum’s memoir is heartbreaking and heart mending and a wonderful set of stories about real people in the real world.” Niki Albon
“I absolutely inhaled it. I laughed, I cried, I learned, but most importantly I connected with our community. Beautiful in every way.” Jonathan Barakat
“I see myself so much in this book, I relived my teenage years through these words.” Andrea Di Giovanni