The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard

Showcasing short fiction with transgender themes, The Collection differs from its predecessors through its prioritisation of the perspectives of transgender people themselves. There are no morality tales here of cis people overcoming bigotry through a chance meeting with a transgender person, and neither is there room for the oversimplified trope of someone coming to terms with a feeling that they're 'trapped in the wrong body'. The Collection's protagonists are trans people with other things going on in their lives besides being trans – however, the stories here recognise that their gender identities inform how they experience these other things. Spanning a range of genres, this book succeeds in presenting an overall high quality of writing. Standout pieces include Casey Plett's Other Women, a hugely relatable story of a queer trans woman returning to her hometown for Christmas; Red Durkin's A Roman Incident, about a teenager whose ticket out of small-town Alabama is a speed-eating contest; and Ramona's Demons, Susan Jane Bigelow's engaging supernatural adventure. Although these highlights focus on trans women, the book also offers worthwhile reads about trans men and those who don't fit into the gender binary. A groundbreaking anthology – here's hoping for a sequel. [Nine]