Goblin reviewed Manywhere by Morgan Thomas
A queer/trans/genderqueer short story collection
4 stars
Things that author Morgan Thomas does well: their prose is wonderful, they challenge us with flawed characters, and they color their stories with the history and character of the US South.
It's difficult for me to review an entire story collection so I'll focus on one of my favorites, "Bump". Louie, a trans woman, is so delighted to be asked if she's expecting a child by a coworker that she plays along, with the aid of the titular mail-order pregnancy bump. Louie, like all Morgan's flawed characters, makes choices I can't agree with but I still find her so relatable and love her so much. The author's painting of the intense yearning for something the body isn't capable of is so moving, and it's such a trans experience.