Stag Dance

Torrey Peters is often describing something that has never been described before and it's never something minor, it's something massive that has been missing from our understanding and enjoyment of the world. Stag Dance is hot, heartbreaking and thrillingly victorious -- Miranda July, bestselling author of All Fours
The stories in Stag Dance are potent and surprising and take no prisoners. How exquisitely Peters writes about the way we move towards ourselves - with the clarity of desire and the agony of resistance -- Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House
A great Torrey Peters story feels like punching yourself in the face, laughing at the bleeding bitch in the mirror and then shamefacedly realizing you're aroused by the blood on your lips. Stag Dance will leave you bruised, broken and wanting more * New York Times *
The pieces are meticulously crafted; especially Stag Dance, with its deft pacing and almost operatic denouement ... Peters seems to delight in complicating liberal identity politics, refusing ever to sanitise her work or narrow her focus, and glorying in some truly rollicking prose * Guardian *
Spellbinding. With pathos and wit, Peters explores characters who find themselves on the brink of self-discovery while also grappling with the challenge and promise of community. I loved this book -- Brit Bennett, bestselling author of The Vanishing Half
Moves nimbly with vivid characters ever-exploring gender and connection -- Vanity Fair * Rupert Everett *
The highly anticipated new book from the bestselling author of Detransition, Baby is finally here and fans will not be disappointed. These diverse tales are all united in their nuanced exploration of trans identity and the author's distinctive, razor-sharp prose. Intense, funny and thought-provoking * Diva *
Torrey Peters is truly a writer like no other. In Stag Dance, she weaves astonishing connections between nature and violence, masculinity and vulnerability, womanhood and constraint, love and betrayals -- Shon Faye, bestselling author of The Transgender Issue
A brilliant literary kaleidoscope. Peters shatters the familiar in four bold and imaginative tales, each powerful enough to reshape our understanding of transness and where we find it -- Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies
Torrey Peters is a holy, dreadful storyteller, her words divine and her characters brutally real, her talent awe-inspiring, her vision immense. Her writing tears your guts out. It leaves you gasping. This is fiction that makes you drop to your knees - fiction at its very best -- Julia Phillips, bestselling author of Bear
This is what I want from fiction. It starts at a place of real vulnerability, goes all the way down its own rabbit hole, and ends up potent and strange -- Imogen Binnie, author of Nevada
Utterly original and will keep you captivated with its voice, energy and wit -- Nussaibah Younis, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Fundamentally
I devoured these four tales with obsessive speed. Peters writes about 'the other' in such fresh, dark ink, without apology and with the wickedest tongue -- Jodie Harsh, author of You Had To Be There
Torrey Peters deals with desire in its all forms - every story is a demand for liberation -- Juliet Jacques, author of Trans: A Memoir
Electrifying ... The funny yet heart-wrenching title novella, set sometime during the primacy of steam engines and written in the style of a tall tale, may be Peters' best work yet ... Peters explores her characters' conundrums with striking honesty, revealing how they're bound by indecision and insecurities from finding happiness, and she exhibits spectacular flexibility with language and form. It's a marvel * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
Peters' fizzy prose throughout is both insightful and cuttingly funny * Crack magazine *
The follow up to Peters' 2021 megahit novel Detransition, Baby comes with high expectation - and delivers * i Paper *
Original and utterly compelling ... A testament to Peter's writing and, although the narratives are a world away from Detransition, Baby, it's evident that her writing and talents have been building since her debut, which is an absolute pleasure to read. * nb magazine *
Peters' writing truly defies pigeonholing ... A moving portrait of different aspects of trans culture -- 5-star review * Skinny *
Blending sharp wit with emotional depth ... It is provocative, educational and entertaining all at once. I highly recommend it * Irish Independent *
Peters's characterization shines * Frieze *
Peters shows us what questioning your gender can mean , and the possible range of attendant emotions: shame, lust, solidarity, jealousy. Above all, she writes with flair about how all these feelings can coexist, and how quickly one can flow into another * Literary Review *
Precise, original, funny and fearless ... everything in Stag Dance feels genuinely fresh * Shortlist, Must-Read Books for Spring *
Deliciously filthy ... Peters unravels the glorious, aching euphoria of giving in to yourself * Big Issue *