Perverts

by Mac Crane, Marisa Crane

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

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.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 7, 2026

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author, and while I appreciated a few of the unusual vignettes featured in this collection, overall it really wasn’t for me. I was hoping for something strange and thought provoking, but most of the stories were merely unfortunate situations with meandering internal soliloquies and little in the way of resolution. Three stories stood out to me. “Smear the Queer” had an interesting premise and twist ending. “The Perverts,” the collection’s titular story, likewise had unique premise and some elements of dark humor. Probably my favorite was “Alex Adams…” for its modern sapphic take on Peter Pan.

The prose is very good, and really, for some special reader, this is the right book, perhaps someone who enjoys a daydreaming style of writing and who doesn’t feel unsatisfied by too many loose ends or overburdened by an overabundance of abstractions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mac Crane, and Random House/The Dial Press for sending me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Mac Crane’s writing so I was so excited to get my hands on their upcoming collection of short stories. The protagonists here are queer/dykes/nonbinary/trans, and there’s a lot of mommy issues here both from the perspective of the queer former child and the queer parent. A lot of the stories examine the body, corporality, embodiment, and objectification under capitalism. Some had speculative or satirical elements, many imagining a job related to performing for a straight/cis audience.

I will say the stories in the first half didn’t work as well for me but I feel like it picked up with the title story and by the end I did have an appreciation for the stories as a whole package. I think I prefer Crane’s novels but still had a lot of fun with these. My favourites were Siren Island, The Cycle of Pitiless Impulses, Personhood, and Alex Adams.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[Jordan Stash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of “Perverts” by Mac Crane.

Perverts is a collection of short stories, some showcasing highly relatable topics, and others exploring bizarre scenarios.

Of the stories in this book, “Personhood,” Topping is Not for the Grief-Stricken,” “The Perverts,” and “Harmony” were the standouts and the only few I enjoyed. These few were entertaining and provocative. Most importantly, they had a clear story that was being told.

Most of the other shorts felt incomplete, sloppy, or downright confusing and made little sense. Overall, I disliked majority of the stories in this book and honestly found it difficult to get through.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun short story collection w/ queer & trans protagonists that pushes at what is truly perverse in modern society. is it the people throwing a blackmail-fueled sex party or the companies laundering in hatred and staffed my broke queer employees who get beat up for a living? there's stories about queer time, the internet, falling in (and out of) love, family expectations & elaborate sexual fantasies! my favorites were smear the queer, alex adams, and i have no record of your ass.

if you liked manywheres by morgan thomas, you'll like this!

thanks to netgalley for the arc

[sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was such a strange collection of stories and is totally out of my usual genre of books but GOD did i enjoy this! each story had a life of its own and made me feel a bit uncomfortable (not in a bad way btw!) and had me rethinking the ideas of "pleasure" and "perversion" outside of how they're usually seen in a more negative light. i'll definitely be picking up more of this author's work in the future!

big thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an early arc copy!

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is my issue with so many short story collections, the quality between stories felt uneven. Some I loved, including Smear the Queer, Siren Island, and Alex Adams, the Dyke Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Unfortunately, the rest didn’t make a huge impression on me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bizarre collection of short stories, some of whom had me laughing out loud and others had me cringing! My favorite was "The Future Wives," but all of them kept me guessing as they are unlike anything else!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Erin Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything Mac Crane writes so it’s no surprise I devoured this collection. The stories are weird! deranged! poignant! tender! smart! incisive! and queer as hell! All my favorite things! I can’t wait for everyone to read and love this as I did

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really know what to expect from this book of short stories. To tell the truth except for a couple of stories like 'Futurewife', the book was quite boring. I stopped reading it about three fourth through.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian)]

Not for me