Perverts - by Crane (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A full-frontal confrontation of the ways we perform desire and shame--from the downright bizarre to the frighteningly relatable--by the award-winning author of A Sharp Endless Need

"Funny and bleak like a queer George Saunders, these stories weird up daily life . . . I love this book!"--Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

An employee at a hunting ground where people pay to act out hate crimes prepares to meet their girlfriend's parents for the first time. A self-destructive client engages in an affair with their therapist, careening their relationship toward its inevitable breaking point. At a theme park where men pay to ogle women dressed as sirens, a mild-mannered boat attendant gets engaged to the star performer. And in the title story, a pregnant internet sex worker blackmails her clients into attending a disastrous party.

Nothing is off limits for Mac Crane as they rework classic stories of rejection, isolation, and connection to suggest that the so-called pervert, by existing in the margins of society, may be the one who sees the world most clearly. Crane brings their keen eye for the unsavory to seventeen transgressive stories that are as tantalizing and addictive as the characters' experiences. A provocative and uproarious collection about pleasure, performance, and pain, Perverts is an exaltation of the awesome depravity of queer modernity.

Review Quotes

"Decadent and depraved, this debut short story collection from the celebrated trans author charts the proclivities of the pervert through several transgressive, totally sexy narratives that read like a queer George Saunders."--Marie Claire

"Crane has a disarming sense of humour and a deftness with language, plus a talent for imbuing strange scenarios between dysfunctional characters with a charged eroticism. . . . A compelling read."--Xtra Magazine

"Equal parts provocative, darkly funny, and unexpectedly tender."--Debutiful

"For fans of Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte, Mac Crane pushes the boundaries of queer fiction. The seventeen tantalising tales each imagine scenarios wilder than the last. . . . The collection leaves you wondering who the perverts really are: the characters in the book, or those of us with heteronormative privilege voyeuristically leering at their experiences?"--Service95

"Mac Crane wrote two of my favorite novels from the past three years . . . and I'm super excited to check out their story collection. They exhibit such a dexterity as a writer. . . . I guarantee this book will be one worth reading and should be on everyone's radar."--Chicago Review of Books, "Our Most Anticipated Books of 2026"

"The engine of Mac Crane's Perverts is desire at work--how desire works on us, how work perverts desire. Funny and bleak like a queer George Saunders, these stories weird up daily life in the money economy, pitching their battles against rainbow capitalism and cisheteropatriarchy alike. I love this book!"--Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

"Beautifully weird and deeply, messily human, Perverts is the kind of collection that sticks to your ribs. I found myself drawn back to these astounding stories again and again, the work reverberating in my brain like delightfully horny church bells. It's brilliant."--Kristen Arnett, author of Stop Me If You've Heard This One

"Perverts . . . upends what the status quo takes for granted, no different from 'more palatable' fiction that points out the weirdness of exchanging money for goods, or raising children, or taking medicine, or falling in love. So, Perverts asks, the next time you think to write someone off, revisit what harm has actually been done."--Autostraddle

"Sexual identity, kink, and reinvention run through this bold story collection from Crane. . . . Crane's memorable and provocative stories are well worth a look."--Publishers Weekly

"[In Perverts, ] there are failed messiahs, sex parties, seashell porn, blackmail, wealth gaps, hatchlings, rebellious Futurewives(TM), excellent descriptions of hugs and how we fail each other, and so, so much disappointment. Parenthood resembles nothing you've thought up before. Even as these stories demand more, more, more, they point to an absence, and everything is distraction from 'spooky' pain."--Electric Literature

"A collection of charming, deeply felt stories running the gamut from imaginative sex work to unexpected voyeurism to meaningful connection between strangers."--Lydi Conklin, author of Songs of No Provenance

About the Author

Mac (Marisa) Crane is a jock, sweatpants enthusiast, and the author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself, a New York Times Editors' Choice, Indie Next pick, and winner of a LAMBDA Literary Award, and A Sharp Endless Need. They have received fellowships from the Sewanee Writers' Conference, American Short Fiction, and Vermont Studio Center, and their short work has appeared in Literary Hub, The Sun, TriQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, Joyland, and elsewhere. Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, they currently live in San Diego with their wife and two kids. Perverts is their debut short story collection.