Plett’s writing always feels so tangible and real to me. I unsurprisingly loved this, though I do wish I had read it before her other works as it seems there is a definitive amount of progression in her writing voice. Thank you to Arsenal Pulp and Net Galley for the complimentary copy.

I have been meaning to read Casey Plett's short stories for ages so I thought this was a good place to start. And I enjoyed them! Though I would have liked more subject variety in the short stories, they were at times a little indistinct from one another as they seemed to be exploring similar relationship types and similar lifestyles etc. And I don't mean that they're similar because the characters were trans - I'm non-binary myself, and I've seen reviews of trans literature before where cis people seemed to think that the mere act of making trans characters front and centre of every story makes them indistinct, as if transness is the only defining characteristic of a character. It's more that there was little thematic variety in these stories, and it felt like the personalities of many of the characters weren't fully fleshed out so they started to blend in together. I'm still keen to read Casey Plett's other collections though and see if that particular aspect of her writing has improved in her more recent works!

Hearing these stories read by the author is the perfect way to take them in. They're relatable, funny, tender, and occasionally sad, but always with an undercurrent of hope. Totally queer and utterly unique, I'm so glad this book got reissued so a new audience can discover it!

This is a frequently angry and bitter collection of brutally honest stories about trans women. From the opening story onwards, there is no avoiding the relentlessness of misgendering, harassment, sexual violence, but there are also moments of companionship, connection and love.

Like most short story collections, some were hits for me, others misses. Unfortunately, most of the stories are written in a similar voice, and they’ve now bled together. I can’t remember which was which - except the story which was written a step-by-step guide to going clothes shopping, which stands out both for the engaging voice and unique structure.

The prose was serviceable but unimaginative. There wasn’t a diverse breadth of experience portrayed - both in the themes and the details of the stories. The protagonists felt like the same woman with a different name, who moved from small town Canada to the US, or from small town US to Canada, work in retail, and enjoy rough nipple-play during alcohol-infused sex. Still, there are a range of sexualities and family situations, which allowed an exploration of different relationships.

I received a free audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review. It was narrated by the author, which was fine, except they spoke very quickly (and unlike in the opposite direction, I find that having to slow down a fast narrator distorts the voice distractingly, so I prefer not to). She also had a particular way of saying ‘she/he/they said’ which drew attention to the plainness of the prose and the repetitive voice - for some reason, ‘she said’ was no longer as invisible as it usually is, instead it was very noticeable.

This is a beautiful collection that feels raw and real. Overall it’s not cheerful and I would give folks a heads up about content warnings before diving in.
I appreciated the afterword by the author where she talks more about her lived experiences and how these influenced the work. I also loved the discussion of giving space and allowing these characters to struggle and be messy and go through hard things.
My favorite work was “Not Bleak” featuring Zeke and Carla. The afterword including how the story could be set to Taylor Swift’s Red album only made it better.
I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Not got loads to say apart from I absolutely loved this. Each story seemed to have an implicit link with the last, I managed to fall in love with every character, and having Casey as the narrator was the cherry on top.