Perverts: Stories

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.

Author: Crane
Publisher: Dial Press
Published: 07/07/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 8.49h x 5.79w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780593733677


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/22/2026

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.