Fat Swim: Fiction

by Emma Copley Eisenberg

An electrifying collection of linked stories following a cast of characters navigating bodies, queerness, power, and sex—with radical results—from the bestselling author of Housemates.

With a brash and stylish voice that implicates and confronts the reader, Emma Copley Eisenberg wades into the contradictions, joys, and violence of a modern world shaped by looking and watching, examining how our hungers can both hijack and crack open our lives. In the title story, a young girl looks to a group of fat women at her local pool to teach her about her changing body. In “Swiffer Girl,” a woman agrees to try for a baby with her partner, only to suddenly find herself haunted by the viral sex video that made the rounds during high school—a video indelibly tied to her own sense of self. In other stories, an obscure fat makeup vlogger’s strange friendship with a middle schooler forces her to reflect on her past life at a toxic beauty startup, a boomer retiree tries to understand her nonbinary child’s gender and polyamory, and a trans librarian takes a job as assistant to a famous science fiction writer only to find himself screening hookups on his octogenarian employer’s behalf.

For better or for worse, these stories counsel, none of us can leave our bodies behind: they remind us what it is to be alive. As the characters in Fat Swim dance into and out of each other’s lives—and through and around Philadelphia—they seek connections and experiences that remind them of that fact, culminating in a reality-bending, tour de force finale, “Camp Sensation.” Eisenberg, whose fiction “should be studied by every contemporary author as the finest departure from the fatphobic hellscape of fiction that exists” (Electric Literature), has a singular vision, and Fat Swim is her most incisive and provocative work yet.

Genres: Short Stories, Queer, Fiction, LGBT, Adult, Lesbian, Contemporary

240 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 28, 2026

About the author

Emma Copley Eisenberg is the nationally bestselling author of the novel Housemates, nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Fiction and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Prize, as well as the nonfiction book The Third Rainbow Girl, a New York Times Notable Book and Editor’s Choice and a finalist for an Edgar Award and an Anthony Award. She’s received fellowships and residencies from Yaddo, Bread Loaf, Tin House, The Millay Colony and others, and her fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in such publications as Granta, The Paris Review, The Believer, Esquire, the Virginia Quarterly Review, The New Republic, Harpers Bazaar, and The Cut. She lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts. Her next book of fiction, Fat Swim, will be published on April 28, 2026.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published April 28, 2026.

4.4 stars

I was so impressed with this collection of ten short stories featuring girls and women. These women aren’t me, but I could see them being me in a different world. I love how the author sees women, especially how she portrays women who are overweight. For some it is just a part of daily existence, not worth remarking upon (kind of) (see the title story, my favorite of the collection). Others often have it too of mind nearly all the time. And I’m so glad there’s a real Kay’s Happy Birthday Bar. I will be looking for more from Eisenberg.

[Bean Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this out of the pushcart for a class. This is the only short story that’s ever made me cry. I think about it constantly, a great piece of writing that changed me.

[Nicole Clapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for the arc! I was so excited to receive it. I adore Copley Eisenberg’s work and this was no exception. I really enjoyed the bizarreness and queerness of the stories. The last one went a bit over my head (some of the others did too) but that’s a me problem. The writing was exquisite. Would definitely recommend to my community.

[Aislinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5⭐️] I didn’t know what to expect going into this collection of stories, and I wasn’t sure how I felt by the end of it.

Some stories, like Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, really grabbed and moved me, and others fell short for me. These stories felt very blunt, and at times a bit gritty, but each one was uniquely interesting. And Copley-Eisenberg’s writing is wonderfully descriptive and evocative throughout, and it felt very honest.

Mixed emotions at the end of this read, but in a good way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Quill (thecriticalreader) · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 stars

The stories in Fat Swim by Emma Copeland Eisenberg lean so hard into the transgressive and offbeat that they completely miss the boat on capturing relatable human experience.

Fat Swim by Emma Copeland Eisenberg is a collection of short stories that take place in Philadelphia. Most of the stories feature queer and/or fat characters dealing with sexuality and relationships; “The Body” is a theme running throughout the collection.

I enjoy stories that confront themes of embodiment in a society that prizes thin, white, cishet bodies above all else. But Eisenberg seems far more interested in stuffing her stories with offbeat characters, quirky pathologies, bizarre dialogue, and transgressive plotlines than exploring human experience. For example, a couple of the stories flirt with themes of incest and pedophilia for seemingly no other purpose than to provoke. The characters speak to themselves and each other in that nonsensical banality commonly celebrated in the creative writing world. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “People don’t talk like that!” “People don’t act like that!” and “This would never happen!”

Because I found the stories wholly unrelatable, I struggled to keep my attention focused. A couple of the stories had moments where, if I squinted hard enough, I could see what sort of vision the author had for their execution. But a couple vague glimmers of clarity in an otherwise soggy mess of a short story collection do not come close to the products as a whole.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m dedicated to reading queer fiction so I wanted to give this a go even though I was underwhelmed by Housemates. There were moments here that worked well for me and I found intriguing. Other times it suffered from clunky prose, endings that fizzled out, and an emotional detachment from the characters. A lot of them failed to stand out from one another and their voices all kind of ran together.

My favorite story was Lanternfly, from the perspective of a transmasc personal assistant for an aging gay science fiction writer. Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, Beauty, and Camp Sensation also stood out. I didn’t like Sundays or I Want a Friend, the former waxing poetic about bi polyamory and the latter an lamentation of a friend breakup.

One of the recurring characters Michael really confused me, really not sure what was going on with him but it hinted at some really disturbing things without actually looking at them head on.

Overall a decent collection of stories exploring queerness, fatness, and the experience of having a body. Some people will probably really like it, but it didn't work for me unfortunately!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

[Alcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I like Eisenberg’s writing style and the way she is able to explore the concepts of hunger, body image, and fatphobia in non-obvious ways. I originally felt like the links between the stories were weak, but I enjoyed the way the final one tied the characters together. That being said, some of these stories were much stronger than others. I also think that reading “Her Body and Other Parties” before this tainted this book for me, as it was another collection of short stories focused on the body and womanhood, that I found more compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy.

[Remi]

i think this could be my therapy

*thank you to Hogarth for the ARC*

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this series of short stories. These were stories where I felt seen, where the fat on my belly was something our author gave thought and attention and time to. Centreing the experiences of queer fat women in writing is more healing that I thought it would be, and I especially enjoyed Fat Swim and Camp Sensation. I could read an entire book around the plot of Camp Sensation, and I loved the (un)becoming explored through the (dis)embodying our cast went through. I found it interesting how we see the character of "Gin" pop up time and again, all the way into the last story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection of fictional (but linked) short stories, Emma Copley Eisenberg's unmistakable voice and style dive into topics of fatness, queerness, and sexuality. In the title story, a preteen girl seeks guidance from a group of fat women swimming at her local pool about her changing body and emerging queer identity. Other stories include parasocial friendship between a fat makeup blogger and her middle school fan, a parent trying to understand her daughter’s polyamorous relationship, and a reality-bending “sensation” camp. Though each story is independent, the characters float in and out of each other’s stories, reminding readers our bodies are just as much a part of our own stories.

I don’t often read fictional short story collections, but Emma Copley Eisenberg reminds me why I should! I was excited to read this collection, and it absolutely lived up to its hype. There’s no hiding behind our bodies or orientation: this is the definition of being unapologetically fat and authentically queer. While there’s a different character in each story and thus a different perspective, Emma Copley Eisenberg's unifying voice and candid observations make this book such a delightful read and I can’t wait to keep reading more.

Reviewed as part of #ARC from #NetGalley. Many thanks to Hogarth Books for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read this book if you:
🥪 watched the Disney movie Heavyweights
🍴 resonate with Roxane Gay’s intro to Hunger: “The story of my body is not a story of triumph. This is not a weight-loss memoir. There will be no picture of a thin version of me, my slender body emblazoned across this book's cover with me standing in one leg of my former, fatter self's jeans.”
📖 like intersecting stories that stick with you

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[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing access to this arc copy. This was my first experience with Eisenberg’s work but it won't be my last - short story collections can be such a challenge because I think it’s hard to feel fulfilled and not left wanting more or disappointed.

I have felt in the past that short stories say trust me you want to read this and then its a cutting cold plunge that ends and I am left in shock and forever wondering about the character and cursing becoming so invested forced to debate if I have the strength to repeat. This was not my experience with Fat Swim, and I valued the links that exist between each story, making it easier to flip the next page as you will continually receive more layers and instead of a peep hole enjoy a dynamic prism gaze to life and bodies and how "we" view ourselves, sexuality and co-existence.

I think there is phenomenal fluidity represented in multiple works and I appreciate that not one character felt one-dimensional or less than determined than the previous.

I would recommend this short story collection to anyone who struggles with short stories, I think it was a re-introduction for me, and I would also say that while the book is being described as confronting or assertive I think it is quietly powerful and more of a goosebump intuition than a megaphone demand of attention.

Quotes living in my brain rent free include, “And in all that time, the body in question changed. If, at the start, it did not believe that its involvement was necessary for the writing of this story, it is now, here, nearly at the end, able to believe in itself at least enough to ask the question: Without me, where would you be?” and also this jewel “people love breasts but hate fat.”

[s_evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for an advanced read (my first!) in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up

I did not realize going into this novel that it is connected short stories. My reason for not typically liking short stories is if they are good, I want MORE than it being short… so even though these were incredibly well written short snippets of characters’ lives - exploring elements of queerness, body, relationships (familial, friendships and romantic), and gender - I did want more; in this book we get (a little to a lot) more of some of the characters in additional "chapters."

I found the characters and writing more poignant for me than those in Housemates, a book by the same author that I enjoyed, which is why I was excited about this one. In Fat Swim, I equally appreciated seeing lives and situations that felt honest and reflective of the QT community and traits of people I know, but in this book, from what I can remember to compare, there is more of a focus on fatness/comfort in bodies and the narrators felt more mature or insightful… even the child in the first story which is the title story. Perhaps this is a reflection of my own state of when I am reading, the author’s skills, or an intentional aspect. Either way, I was expecting to like this because of Emma Copley Eisenberg but not as much as I did!

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I really enjoyed this author's novel, _Housemates_, and I'm generally a huge fan of short story collections. There are some highlights here, but overall, I had overt struggles during the read.

The description of this book includes that the central motifs are queerness, bodies, sex, and power. In most cases, all of these are intertwined, and this happens in some particularly provocative ways. At times, this entanglement became too uncomfortable for me: so much so that I got lost in the gross-out of situations like a dad looking at a teenage daughter's body for too long (I'm scowling and flaring my nostrils as I type this). These stories might work very well for someone who finds these motifs - at least as they're presented here - less challenging. I don't typically have low tolerance for any of them, but this collection overall just...too much for me on that front.

It's funny because one of the aspects of _Housemates_ I really liked was the realism with which an inappropriate relationship plays out. I think this author has a real knack for pushing boundaries and bringing the characters and situations into reality. I also think this went too far for me this time and am sure other readers will have a different, more positive experience.

I am going to take a long walk and brush this off, and I'll definitely be back for more from this author, but I might crack the next book with a little more caution.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

This set of kind of bizarre, interconnected short stories by Emma Copley Eisenberg were an interesting read for me. On one hand, they were visceral and sometimes yucky- I felt like a fly on a wall where I wasn’t totally sure I wanted to be, but couldn’t look away. On the other, I appreciated how Emma writes about bodies in no other way than that we have one, regardless of its size and shape. I LOVED the first story and would have happily read a full novel about that little slice of the world. I found it charming and sweet and more hopeful, even if as the interconnectedness of the stories emerges it takes a weird turn. My one major gripe is that eventually the stories all started to blend into one another. What I initially thought was how one narrator spoke within the confines of one story suddenly turned into ten stories that felt indiscernible from the others before and after it. I think these would be best read with enough time to let each storyline settle before embarking on the next one, and I think a closer second reading sometime would probably shed new light.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little conflicted on how to rate this one. I loved reading about so many fat, queer characters. However, the narrative style threw me off after a couple stories. It was really endearing in the first chapter, which was about a young fat girl coming to terms with her body, but once I realized it would be the same throughout all the stories I lost some of my momentum.
Some of the stories I really enjoyed and I was able to relate to the characters well. Others I found off-putting. I think that was what the author was trying to do, but it gets to a point.
I didn’t really see an overarching storyline within all these characters, other than people live their lives and think about the world around them in different ways that we might not understand for ourselves.
My favorite story by far was Fat Swim, the very first one of the book. I could have read an entire book just about Alice. I think I’d like to go back and reread the whole book, but that story in particular I’m sure I’ll revisit often.
I don’t know. About halfway through the book I was starting to worry that maybe I’m just too dumb to understand what the author was trying to do. But if you like the feeling of sonder and looking at the way people go about their daily lives, give Fat Swim a read.

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Hogarth for the ebook. These stories, set mostly in and around Philadelphia, are fascinating for their study of body awareness and sexuality. It starts with a young girl whose body is changing, as she watches a group of heavyset women set off to the local pool, with their heads held high and joy in their every step. Another moving story is about a college long distance runner who starts a cosmetic company with two fellow runners, but is asked to leave the company as they are too busy to run now and she gains more and more weight. There’s also the trans librarian who is hired by an elderly, famous science fiction writer, only to find that their job is mostly to go through apps to find men for him to sleep with. It’s queerness and body shapes told from the inside looking out, but at times it’s from the outside looking in as one mother tries to understand her child’s polyamory.

[Emma Cathryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eisenberg's debut short fiction collection is a mixed bag of thematically linked musings on gender, sexuality, body dysmorphia, identity, and human connection. At their best, these stories capture the beauty of living an authentic, vulnerable life in defiance of social norms and cultural expectations. However, they can also veer into areas that feel unnecessary provocative, seeking to shock readers rather than to explore ideas. Those I enjoyed included the titular ".Fat Swim", about a young fat girl finding community with a group of older fat women at her local pool, "Swiffer Girl", a commentary on revenge porn and the brutal misogyny that characterized mid-2000s humor, and my absolute favorite, "Lanternfly", about the unlikely friendship between a young trans man and an elderly gay science fiction author.

[sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories about fat, queer, and BIPOC characters that intertwine together set in Philadelphia. I really enjoyed how each of the stories talked about characters and different queer identities like lesbians, trans, and poly. Also the way that weight, especially overweight characters were talked and were just there casually but also a part of who they are.
Sadly I didn’t feel like the story intertwined as much as I thought they would have. I wasn’t as intrigued with most of these stories either sadly, I feel like a lot of the stories just felt like one shots so you didn’t really get the characters.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Heidi C · Rating 3 out of 5]

**ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review**

I very much enjoyed Eisenberg's novel, Housemates. So I was excited to get an early copy of this collection to review. And, overall, I enjoyed the book.

In this collection of short stories, Eisenberg's talent is again on full display, with some mixed results. Some of the stories, while well written, just didn't land for me. But, overall, the collection, with its focus on bodies and how they move and feel and live, was well done. Personal favorites were Camp Sensation and the eponymous Fat Swim.

Overall a good short story collection, even with the stories that didn't work especially well for this reader. I would still recommend this book as a great window into the writing of Eisenberg and her unique style.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so incredibly Queer, which is probably one of the only aspects I truly loved about it. Fat Swim is a collection of Short Stories featuring Queer stories about bodies, sex and relationships. I found myself pitying every character in the stories, they all seemed to be so lost and just going through the motions of life. Which I think was the point, little glimpses of people living their lives the best way they were able. Nothing extraordinary, just real and raw.
My favorite story was the last one, with the call backs to the previous stories.


Thank you to netgalley and Hogarth for a ARC

[Ruth Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Housemates, so I was beyond excited to pick up Fat Swim. These stories explore what it means to be in queer bodies, fat bodies, old and young bodies, how these bodies are perceived by the self and society and where these perceptions clash. I love Copley Eisenberg's prose, and these stories read quickly and smoothly with a great sense of place. The interconnectedness seemed like an afterthought at times, and I would loved to have seen Camp Sensation explored as a novel, rather than the culmination of this collection.

This is an easy 4 stars. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review!

[Lydia Hephzibah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

setting: Pennsylvania
rep: queer, fat, and BIPOC protagonists and side characters

This is pitched as a collection of linked stories but I wish the links had been a little more solid as they're often quite tenuous. really appreciated the fat and queer rep here, though most of the stories felt a bit unfinished or underdeveloped to me. the most interesting was probably the last one as it felt like it broke with convention a little and I was intrigued by the sensation camp and the descriptions of various senses.

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Had a good time with this, even though I didn't really see a big connection between the stories. The last story was my least favorite, because I could see where it was headed and was not really surprised by it.

But I would give this author another try.

Thank you to Hogarth and the author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Eileen KM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories were so strong that I would love a full length novel- lanternfly, camp sensation, the Dan graves situation, beauty and fat swim. However others fell flat for me bringing my eating down to a 4: Rays Happy birthday bar, I want a friend and Mama.

Would definitely read this author again!

Honest review in exchange for net galley arc

[Callie Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inimitable and fantastic collection of interconnected short stories! Quick read both in terms of prose and because I couldn’t put it down. After reading the title story “Fat Swim” in a fiction workshop I had to get the advanced reader copy of the collection and I’m so happy I did. Highly recommend this.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories! Seeing queerness and fatness explored with many of the main characters was actually very validating to me as a queer, fat person. The last story was a bit hard for me to follow, especially at the end, but overall I think this collection was well written and engaging. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to review.

[Kayla Winkler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did love this read, but I think my struggle with reading many shorter stories came into play. Copley Eisenberg does have a strength with writing about being fat and queer, and I do appreciate that. I did find myself not being able to easily follow some stories (especially the last one), but all in all, a pleasant read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early access!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short story collection with interconnected pieces that come together at the end. If you’re into queer lit that plays with form and isn’t afraid to get a little strange, this is absolutely worth picking up.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Copley Eisenberg's writing is lived in, vivid, and cuts deep. This collection of connected stories are all about female bodies - the good, the frustrating, and the begrudgingly accepting. A vital read.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow wow WOW! thank you Hogarth and Netgalley for one of my most anticipated books of the year!