Torrey Peters has SO. MUCH. RANGE. She writes in her closing remarks that this book is the result of her collected efforts over 10 years of writing, and I believe it—even just the research required to create a period-appropriate trans lumberjack (sorry, sawyer) character alone could have taken that time, and that's just one of the four stories included in Stag Dance. I was absolutely immersed in each of these narratives, and the emotional rollercoaster she took me on was masterful.

This was a top-anticipated release for me, and it absolutely held up to expectations. Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read and review!

I'm not sure how to rate this one because I was actually much more interested in the short stories than the novella. The stories at the beginning were excellent and the sharp writing could be added to my all time favorites. Stag Dance itself was fine, but maybe it was the setting that just didn't grab me.

In Stag Dance, Torrey Peters cements her position as one of the most vital voices in contemporary literature and builds upon the foundation laid by her first novel Detransition, Baby. Where her debut novel cracked open conversations about trans motherhood and family-making, Stag Dance widens the aperture. In the one novel and three novellas, we get a kaleidoscopic view of the trans feminine experience through an array of genres and narrative approaches.

Peters' raw storytelling style remains her greatest strength. She refuses to sand down the rough edges of her characters' lives, instead letting them exist in all their complicated glory. (A note of caution: this book contains explicit language.) The collection moves seamlessly from gritty realism to speculative fiction to horror, each genre shift serving as a new lens through which to examine the nature of trans womanhood. Peters explores different aspects of trans experience—from the deeply personal to the broadly political—while maintaining visceral emotional impact.

In the last story, "The Masker," a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between two guides: a handsome mystery man, Felix, who objectifies her in thrilling ways, or a cynical veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood. In a brief interaction with Felix, Peters writes:

He tells me that I'd make a good wife, that I'm funny, that I cast my eyes down shyly when I laugh. The idea of myself as a wife, of belonging to a man like this, makes me feel demure, vulnerable and turned on. I'm suddenly very aware of my nipples.

Just in these three sentences we are given a lot on the themes of gender identity and validation. For an elderly trans woman, being called a "good wife" carries layers of meaning about societal roles and self-perception. The responses—feeling demure, vulnerable, and aroused—reflect the powerful experience of having one's gender identity affirmed and being desired as one's authentic self.

This aligns with Peters' recognized strengths as an author—her raw storytelling ability and talent for exploring uncomfortable truths while maintaining emotional authenticity. In another passage we are given one of the most revealing, emotionally authentic passages.

I came to understand that there was a dark place inside of me. I had to be aware of the gravitational pull of that dark place, to keep tabs on it—but never look directly at the reality of it. That's what I mean when I say I could think about something without really thinking about it. Keeping my thoughts on a steady leash was a skill I had to develop when I rebuilt my mind after that horror trip, restacking myself like a fallen Jenga tower.

This takes on deep significance about managing psychological trauma and identity. The metaphor of the "dark place" and keeping thoughts "on a steady leash" is economical yet complex. The image of "restacking myself like a fallen Jenga tower" particularly resonates with anyone’s experience of feeling other – this idea that one's identity and self-perception must be rebuilt. There is no sanitized version of trans identity or at least, you will not find it here.

And in our current political climate, where trans rights are under constant (unnecessary, gross, inhumane) attack and trans voices are being systematically silenced, this is not just a literary achievement but a crucial cultural document. Peters' refusal to write sanitized, palatable narratives of trans experience feels particularly vital now. These stories give voice to what keeps trans women up at night—their fears, desires, and dreams—and to the everyday experiences that shape their lives. The collection reminds us that trans stories are human stories: complex, messy, and beautiful.

While I loved the short stories in Stag Dance the collection, the titular tale disappointed.

When reading other reviews for this title, I assumed reviewers' distaste for "Stag Dance" (the novella) was due to wanting a strictly short fiction collection, or simply the placement of the novella in the middle of the collection messing with pacing and making it kind of fatiguing to read. In fact, the reason so many of us struggled to get through the eponymous novella is because "Stag Dance" should have been a short story.

If one wanted to learn about the culture on logging sites, particularly criminal ones, and the homoeroticism inherent to that kind of setting, this might be interesting. If you did not come into the story wanting that, prepare to be burdened by info dumps on logging and log site roles. The core of "Stag Dance" the novella is interesting and has a satisfying ending, but there was no need to drag it out into a novella when the relevant plot could have easily been condensed into a short story. It felt like Peters had gone too deep into learning about logging and needed to cram as much of that into the story as possible, lest it go to waste.

The short stories that ARE in Stag Dance the collection are excellent! "Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones" is exactly what I want from short fiction, and is a perfect collection-opener. "The Chaser" was compulsively readable. "The Masker" is my least favourite of the three and the least emotionally nuanced, but it was a breath of fresh air after the cloying weight of "Stag Dance."

If you want a collection that does novella & short stories in one well, give Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca a try. Otherwise, maybe skip "Stag Dance" and enjoy the other stories in this collection.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of Stag Dance in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

So glad to have had the opportunity to review this book. There are important themes are woven throughout. While the writing style was not for me I would encourage others to give it a try as I believe the meaning behind the stories to be very important.

Strong, consistent collection of three short stories and one novella examining gender and sexuality in different contexts. None are easy to read, but all are thought-provoking.

highly anticipated but somewhat missed the mark. i thought the short stories were solid but was not into the titular Stag Dance novella. it was a western. good mix of genres in this collection. very different from Detransition, Baby.

thanks netgalley and random house for the eArc

In the acknowledgements of her first short story/novella collection, Torrey Peters mentions that the pieces contained within Stag Dance have been written over a nearly 10-year period, an accumulation of her efforts to explore aspects of her own transition that were difficult to articulate or existed beyond the boundaries of publicly sanitized trans discourse. This desire to explore what it can, but not always does, mean to live as a trans woman are apparent throughout these stories—the vulnerable and infrequently seen underbelly of transition and metamorphosis are on full display, probed and turned over with prose that is as sharp as it is tender.

Stag Dance is a collection of three short stories and one novella (the titular Stag Dance). Each explores in its own way some particular facet of trans womanhood, all feeling distinctly fresh and unlike anything else in the collection. These stories are unusual, with a certain visceral grittiness to them—grime, mud, blood, and a general sense of unease provide an atmospheric backdrop for most of these pieces. But they’re also each infused with beauty and little moments of tenderness, both in Peters’s excellent prose and in the quiet and gentle moments that she carefully constructs around her characters.

I loved Detransition, Baby, and I loved Stag Dance, too. This short story collection is an excellent opportunity to see Peters’s range and wit as an author, as she dips into literary subgenres including speculative fiction and psychological horror. I really cannot recommend this highly enough, and can’t wait to see where she takes us next.

Thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Stag Dance, the novella of this collection, is sandwiched between two short stories which to be honest, work better. Peters has boldly taken on toxic relationships,, gender, our assumptions,, and thrown in humor and a bit of horror. The short stories are zippier than the novella (admire the ideas). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. As with all collections, read these one at a time over a period of days (or weeks). I'm looking forward to whatever Peters does next.

I think I'm in the minority but I did not care for these stories unfortunately! each fell flat - premises were great, executions not so much. I liked the dystopian themes explored but unfortunately just wasn't crazy about the writing.

I really enjoyed all of the stories and the title novella however the first and second story will be ones that really stick with me over time I think. Very interesting genre bending storytelling that explores gender identity and fluidity.

Torrey Peters takes on horror with the stories in Stag Dance. Gripping, strange, compelling. If you loved Detransition, Baby and enjoy reading about messed up people in unusual social situations, you'll love the stories in here.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of four short stories did not captivate me as I thought it would, the concept of some of the stories were interesting but they all failed in their development, none of the stories interested me enough, it was difficult for me to finish this book.

I think that if the ideas of these short stories had been developed into a novel it would have been more interesting.

I had already read one of the short stories in this collection: Infect Your Friends and Family. Torrey Peters is an extraordinary writer who does not shy away from the gory, dark, and mean parts of life. At once hilarious and sobering, her writing has character studies inside plot machines (there is a forward motion to each story in the collection that can sometimes not be found in books with the same level of writing). She is a writer that is willing to talk about the *body* in a way that I think is rare and interesting; I think to say this book is simply a "commentary" is so reductive as, while it does take jabs at our current culture, it also is simply so engaging as fiction.

The Run-Down: Stag Dance by Torrey Peters is a creative collection of short stories and one novel that showcases Peters’s versatile writing abilities and exposes the treacherous nature of flirting with queerness in patriarchal environments.


Review:
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters consists of three short stories and one historical fiction novel (Stag Dance), all of which deal with themes of masculinity and transness. These writings explore how the supposedly rigid rules of gender expression in hyper-masculine social spaces can be bent with a surprising amount of flexibility. This flexibility is equal parts tantalizing and dangerous to our transfeminine protagonists, as taking even a small step beyond the acceptable level of femininity and homoeroticism can lead to unspeakable violence. All of her main characters face unusual moral dilemmas as they navigate the complex gendered matrix of power, vulnerability, and cruelty, in which the reward for suppressing one’s true self and inflicting violence on other deviants is outwardly more enticing than embracing one’s queerness and community. Peters explores these themes with remarkable creativity and empathy.

The science fiction short story “Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones” is a clever take on the gender apocalypse and contagion story that posits that the patriarchy might still thrive even in conditions seemingly inimical to its existence. At times, however, it becomes rather heavy-handed in its messaging about the importance of trans-femme solidarity.

The short story “The Chaser” features a morally gray protagonist and dives into the confusion and violence of young queerness in a boarding school setting. (Trigger warnings for animal death/cruelty)

The short story “The Masker” juxtaposes the ease of fetishizing gender deviance with the hardships that come with being one’s true self in a transphobic society.

The titular novel, Stag Dance, is a fascinating piece of historical fiction that earnestly tries to imagine trans-femininity in the last place (and person) one might expect: a hulking lumberjack in an early twentieth-century illegal lumbering camp. Peters uses a combination of folk slang and careful characterization to lend her protagonist, who is easy to root for as (s)he discovers new parts of him/herself, with a distinct voice. At times Peters’ commitment to the voice and writing style may border on excessive or superfluous depending on the reader’s preferences. The novel has a solid, cathartic, and violent ending that is sure to make an impression.


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

Overall I liked this collection a lot. I loved how Peters was challenging gender and how it shows up in much more complicated, messy, and nuanced ways. I loved the way she also was exploring stereotypes and playing with the sinister side of gender politics and performance. Also a lot of play with genre constraints and tropes. Fun. The title novella was a bit long and schiticky for me, but still solid. The 2nd and 4th stories were my standouts.

Stag Dance is undeniably well-written, with a clear message and sharp observations, but it just wasn’t for me. The dialogue and plot felt so outside of my frame of reference that I struggled to stay engaged. While I can appreciate what the book was trying to do, I never felt fully immersed in the world or connected to the characters. This may be a case of misaligned expectations—I had an idea in my head of what the story would be, and the actual execution was something entirely different. I can see why others would love this, but I just wasn’t the right reader for it.

Boy oh boy was this not for me. I think the book is incredibly well written and has a message it is trying to deliver, but I felt so out of place on the dialogue and plot. I think this is also a classic example of me building in my head what this story was going to be and then the actual execution being completely different.

Screeched when I got this ARC! I, like all of my friends, loved detransition baby and this is a great follow up. I will admit I liked the short stories more than the novella but I think now more than ever it's important to read trans stories and support trans artists as the world constantly tries to belittle their experiences and lives. I'm so happy I got this!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of stories, although a bit disappointed I didn't love the titular story. However, these stories about sexuality and gender are extremely timely and important. I think this is at least worth picking up for the first story and even if the other stories aren't your cup of tea, there is still some important messages to learn from.

Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones - 4.5/5 - This one was great. I was skeptical at first that the storytelling wasn’t linear but I loved the dystopian vibe and really unique concept. The story was very engaging and the last line really nailed it for me. This was so satisfying and timely.

The Chaser - 3.5/5 - This started off as sexy and toxic…and ended just toxic. This was not as strong as the first story, but despite not liking it at first, this story really lingered and I couldn't stop thinking about it days after finishing it. The violence was a bit too uncomfortable for me. But overall had an interesting story and powerful message.

Stag dance -2.5/5 - I was a little disappointed this was my least favorite. This one just wasn’t as strong for me. I liked the concept but it just didn’t grip me in like the others. I was getting the characters confused and was overall a little too weird for me.

The Masker - 3.5/5 - This one was spooky and very thought provoking. This left me questioning the main characters decisions and really understanding which relationships were best for our main character in the end.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House, and Torrey Peters for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.