Hello and happy pub day to my friend Marisa Crane (who also goes by Mac). I teased I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself in my very first newsletter but as of today, it’s officially out in the world for you to enjoy. I am extremely proud of them - I have had the pleasure of watching this book’s journey - from submission to now being next to me on the blue couch where I type this. I’m sooo happy for you, Mac, and I know that so many people are going to fall madly in love with this book.
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is a lyrical, fragmented, speculative book that centers around Kris, who is raising a child alone after her wife dies in childbirth. In the dystopian society where this book is set, extra shadows are assigned as a punitive measure against people who have done some kind of “wrong”. Kris has an extra shadow and the baby is born with one as the baby is held responsible for the death of her mother. This is a book about grief, yearning, outcasts, community, survival and parenthood. It’s written in Mac’s incredibly beautiful, spellbinding prose which is devastating and funny and sincere. I read this in one setting on a plane, only stopping to text them things like “HOLY FUCK” in all caps. I am rarely a speculative girly but I really loved this book. It’s a stunning debut and I am so fortunate to know them! Go buy your copy! You’ll be thinking about this for a long, long time.
Mac was also kind enough to be the very first guest on this newsletter and contribute some of their favorite books! Please enjoy this special edition: All the Things They Said (were good):
The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund
This book fundamentally changed me. As the title suggests, it’s about a boy with a literal bird in his chest. Her name is Gail and she’s sometimes sassy, sometimes sweet, always there for him. It’s a coming-of-age, surreal queer story about feeling different, about belonging, about showing people the part of you that you’re most ashamed of. Much of it is sad but the author writes beautifully towards hope, acceptance, and community.
This book has it all—it’s queer, witty, smart, hilarious, and just so much fun to read. It’s told from alternating perspectives: Emily, a depressed, millennial in LA who runs an astrology meme account and does readings, and Dawn, an older lesbian in Riverside who has just been dumped. It’s a book about obsession, desire, delusion, the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and who we are destined to be, and so much more.
Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
This book is hilarious and weirdly moving. It’s about a guy who literally gets stuck inside his work Slack. The entire thing is written in Slack messages between employees and gets increasingly more bizarre as you read. I can’t even tell you how many times I stopped to read a line out loud to my wife because I was laughing so hard. It also has a queer storyline!
This queer story collection is fucking weird, hilarious, and sort of insane. It’s about a bunch of different people named Sarah across time, including a bible-era trans woman and a lesbian who turns into a tree. It’s truly a wild and unforgettable ride.
We the Animals by Justin Torres
This is one of my favorite books ever. I think I’ve read it upwards of 40 times. It’s 127 pages of poetic, punchy, hypnotic, achy prose that is at once so tender and brutal. It’s told from the perspective of the youngest of three Puerto Rican and white brothers, although most of the narration is told in the first-person plural, we, we, we. It’s about family and love and the things we sometimes mistake for love and the co-existence of joy and pain. It’s also queer!
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
This is another one of my favorite books ever. It’s written in short fragments, exploring the marriage and domestic life of the narrator and her husband, and their new baby. The “about” for this book sounds sort of dull but it’s anything but. It’s full of humor and small satisfying lines and turns of phrase. It’s original and weird and impossible to put down, exploring universal questions of loss, love, sacrifice, and connection.
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Set in the 80s in Danvers, MA, home of the 1692 witch trials, this book follows a varsity field hockey team who will do anything to win the state finals, including witchcraft. This book is like if Yellowjackets was a moving, charming comedy. It made me laugh out loud, made me unexpectedly cry, and made me miss the camaraderie of a sports team so fucking bad. And of course, it's queer.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
This book is the reason I’m now pen pals with Kevin. I emailed him right after I finished reading it to thank him for writing it and we’ve been connecting ever since. Nothing to See Here is about Lillian, who receives a weird invitation from her old boarding school friend, Madison, to come live with her and her family and be the caretaker for her stepchildren who spontaneously combust whenever they get upset. She says why the fuck not and takes her up on her offer. What follows is a tender, funny, and very moving story—plus, a surprise queer storyline! Did you really think I’d put a book on this list that isn’t queer?
Thank you soooo much Mac for sharing your brilliant selections! Congratulations on your amazing book - I’m so excited to continue to watch it dazzle everyone it encounters. Like you!
We will be back to our regularly scheduled programming…. soon… I just got back from Vermont where I spent 10 days surrounded by brilliant writers and cold, cold air. I am grateful and wiped and fantasizing about moving to Vermont…. haha jk unless…??
I did start reading Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis which I’m already obsessed with… I’m sure I’ll write more later but definitely put that on your radar.
I hope that your January has been filled with warm beverages, a surprising epiphany or two, a weird thrift find, and restful sleep -
‘Til next time!
xo,
Ariél