Pretend It's My Body

by Luke Dani Blue

Informed by the author’s experience in and between genders, this debut collection blurs fantasy and reality, excavating new meanings from our varied dysphorias.

In the vein of Carmen Maria Machado, Kelly Link, and Daniel Lavery, these ten short stories ricochet between the lives we wish for and the ones we actually lead. A tornado survivor grapples with a new identity, a trans teen psychic can read only indecisive minds, and a woman informs her family of her plans to upload her consciousness and abandon her body. Ranging from con artists, middle-aged runaways, and prodigal "un-daughters," Luke Dani Blue’s cast of misfits insist on marginal lives made central and magical thinking made real.

Surreal, darkly humorous, and always deeply felt, Pretend It’s My Body is bound together by the act of searching—for a story of one’s own, for a glimpse of certainty, and for a spark of recognition and human connection.

Genres: Short Stories, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Transgender, Science Fiction, Contemporary

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Luke Dani Blue’s stories have appeared in the Colorado Review, Crab Orchard Review, and have been included on the list of the year's most distinguished stories in Best American Short Stories 2016. Originally from Michigan, Luke Dani Blue (they/them) is a two-time college dropout and time-traveling Victorian invalid who resides most reliably on the internet. They are also an astrologer.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke Dani Blue defies every expectation in these ten ravishing, razor-wired tales about transition. These characters hang between genders, between stations, in the future of ten minutes from now—stuck in some essential way and struggling for a way forward. In Pretend It’s My Body, everything is possible, and yet, life in the flesh proves maddeningly resistant to the pressure of individual desire. Funny, gorgeously written, absurd, and impossibly human. A brilliant debut.

[Luke Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading this book for 11 years now and I still like it! That said, I have MANY suggestions for improvement.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT.

Haven't loved a book of fiction this hard in so long. Each short story is filled with smart prose, compelling characters and unique situations. Blue writes with snark and empathy at the same time. I am still processing all that is great about this work but until then ASDFJKL;

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing collection of short stories on gender, trans, and queer identities that is powerful and necessary. Blue's writing is humorous and witty making each distinct character compelling in their own way, and they have a knack for giving just enough but leaving the reader wanting more at the end of each story. There are some strong prose and great one-liners that made me pause and reflect, then re-read again and again. In other moments, the metaphors and transitions didn't coalesce with the plot. Overall, I'm looking forward to more work from Luke Dani Blue.

coming back a week later to add more thoughts. the stories are riveting and emotionally charged, making for a deeply rich experience im still thinking about them. especially pig in a poke and the story about the mother/child relationship. i think i read this in just a couple of sittings because i kept turning the pages, story after story.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The September, 2022 selection of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club is a debut short story collection. The author is trans, female to male. They are also a wonderful writer and teaches writing.

I have not read much about the trans subject nor do I personally know a trans person. I read The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson in 2016. As an introduction to the exigencies of changing one's sex, it gave me ideas I could think with.

I was raised to accept what God gave me: gender, looks, abilities, weaknesses and parents. I don't believe in that God anymore but early teachings cling to one. I used to be homophobic too, but I changed my mind.

One thing these stories did was bring back childhood, when I often wished I was a boy. I think that was mainly because I thought I would have more freedom and agency if I was. I still cannot imagine changing gender but I can imagine how someone else could.

Luke Dani Blue helped me imagine that even better. There is not one weak story in Pretend It's My Body. I looked forward each day to the next one I would read.

[Nic Anstett · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Pretend It’s My Body” is the beautiful kind of book that isn’t at all afraid to show you how messy gender, growing up, and having a mom can be. Luke Dani Blue’s fiction is gonna make you wince, laugh, knock you on your ass and give all the good gender feels. Read this. Do it

[Hugh Minor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. That's the best word for this collection of short stories. Dive in, read with an open mind and allow yourself to be blown away.

[sheepdotpng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I'm not big on short story collections -- but this was a rare one where I genuinely did enjoy all ten of them! Standouts (to me) were "Suzuki in Limbo", "Pig in a Poke", "Bad Things That Happen to Girls" and "Dogs of America". Definitely passing this one on to some of my other trans friends!!

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy this book exists in the world! We badly need more literature like this that expresses the particular je ne sais quoi of being trans. Queerness runs through each story but not always in overt ways, and as a queer reader I find these stories to be deeply relatable not only in their plots and characters but just in their great gay way of being. Blue writes a wide range of voices and perspectives, always in a way that is sharp, funny and a total pleasure to read. The stories are deeply layered, asking questions about truth, place, time and the body as they appear in everything from our understandings of history to our relationships with our parents, partners, weird neighbors, strangers on the bus… Blue’s wry and witty writing is full of jokes and satirical takes on recognizable interpersonal dynamics, but always with a bit of a fantastical twist. This makes Blue’s collection unique and, for me, a very refreshing break from the drier realism common in literary short fiction. This doesn’t mean the stories aren’t also deep and feeling! I was often surprised at the deft shifts in the tone of the stories that were not only beautiful on a technical writing level, but just plain emotionally moving to read. Very recommended.

[Carrie Nassif · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I first met Luke Dani Blue at an AROHO conference some years ago, but I JUST got their new book in the mail two days ago and I couldn't put it down.

They are an award-winning writer AND also an insightful astrologer (do everyone you know a favor and check out seagoatastrology.com). Luke Dani Blue's collection of short stories in, "Pretend It's My Body" is full of darkness and vibrance and snark and guts in all the best ways. This is their first book, one of those arty, thick papered paperbacks you love to read.

Published by Feminist Press, the book garnering a Kirkus review as an, "original work intent on creating new ways to imagine transformations".

Their writing slips under your skin and tickles a little, strange and familiar all at once. These are rich, sumptuous images and personalities now imprinted indelibly into my understanding of self. Find Luke at lukedaniblue.com and read, read, read this collection!

[illianjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

very well-written and cohesive collection of stories. going into it, i was concerned that the trans motif would get a bit repetitive, but blue managed to keep things fresh. materializing in everything from the varying stages of transgender identity to the transition of parenthood, consciousness, and history between people, this was an overall pleasant read. there were only one or two stories that stumbled at keeping my attention, which is impressively low for such a diverse range of stories. stand-out stories for me included Certain Disasters, Suzuki in Limbo, My Mother’s Bottomless Hole, and Dogs of America.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first story but after that the stories got progressively boring. I’ll say that I liked the complexities of the characters within each story but unfortunately as I continued to read, it got harder and harder to pick up the book to finish it. I don’t think this is a terrible collection of stories at all but I felt bored and each one getting weirder and weirder. I do think this reflects my taste in books more than it does about the stories in general, though.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the author's voice but loathe the cliffhanger style. Feels like great half baked ideas. Every ending is a sharp disappointment. Several great characters with interesting developments and metaphors. Clear settings. Good queer fiction. Reads a bit racist on p199 by pushing stereotypes and misinformation in the author's voice. Left a bad taste in my mouth. The misinformation was debunked prior to publishing.

[Theres · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful short story collection with a focus on trans and transitional stories. Some of these will particularly stay with me: the mind reader (Other people's point of view), the one of the world about to end (End of the world pussy) and the one of the scammy ayahusca ceremony couple (Pig in a poke) were highlights.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say 3/4 of these short stories were incredible, and the other 1/4 were kind of duds. I really liked the ones that very specifically delved into the first person narrator being trans and how they felt.

[homo depot]

dnf at 35%. i LOVED the concepts and overarching theme of these stories, but unfortunately it just wasn’t really my cup of tea. absolutely more about my personal reading tastes than the actual quality of the collection.

[Zev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories gave off huge Francesca Lia Block vibes. Others tried to be funny but were annoying. Some were unsettling in other ways. I didn't laugh at all.

[MNK · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[kade · Rating 5 out of 5]

most of the stories were 5/5 but a few were not great 4.5

[Claire Abs]

to-read

[Kenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

: My Mother's Bottomless Hole

[mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was good! i always love to read work by trans authors :)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5
Heartbreakingly queer: I was surprised at how I felt while reading these stories. I took me longer than I'd like to admit to finish this collection, but it was worth the read.

[Harper K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Grace Bryan]

DNF! I thought the first short story was excellent but wasn't compelled to finish the remainder after reading 70%.

[Shaunee Broadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book and all the stories. some of them i’m not sure what it was meant to mean (a full and accurate recounting) but i enjoyed them all, and kinda sad that it’s over now.
EDIT:
i dmed the author on instagram and asked to help explain a full and accurate recounting and got so much detail and info about it. they honestly amazing to take time out their day to explain to me i can’t wait to read more stories from them