A Safe Girl to Love

A Safe Girl to Love is a collection of eleven short stories featuring transgender women in various settings across North America. The characters navigate daily life in cities including New York, Winnipeg, and rural Canada. The stories follow protagonists at different stages of transition as they pursue relationships, careers, and self-discovery. Through their experiences, the narratives explore family dynamics, friendship, dating, and the search for community. The characters range from college students to writers to service workers, each facing distinct challenges while moving through spaces both welcoming and hostile. The collection maintains focus on the full scope of their lives rather than transition alone. These interconnected tales examine identity, belonging, and resilience without resorting to cliché or expected narrative arcs. Plett's work highlights the complexity of trans experiences while remaining grounded in the concrete details of contemporary life.

Readers highlight the authentic portrayal of trans women's everyday experiences, with stories that focus on mundane moments rather than transition narratives. Many note the complex dynamics between characters and the raw, realistic dialogue. Positives from reviews: - Natural, conversational writing style - Diverse representation of trans characters beyond stereotypes - Humor mixed with serious themes - Strong sense of place in both urban and rural settings Common criticisms: - Some stories feel unresolved - A few readers found the pacing inconsistent - Occasional confusion with multiple character perspectives Ratings: Goodreads: 4.17/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (50+ ratings) "The stories feel lived rather than crafted," notes one Goodreads reviewer. Another reader on Amazon praised how the collection "captures small meaningful moments without sensationalizing them." Several reviewers mentioned connecting with the portrayal of trans characters navigating everyday relationships and social situations.

Nevada by Imogen Binnie A trans woman in New York confronts her past and embarks on a cross-country journey that explores identity, relationships, and self-discovery.

Little Fish by Casey Plett A trans woman in Winnipeg uncovers her Mennonite grandfather's hidden past while navigating her own present-day struggles with identity and belonging.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Three women—trans and cis—become entangled in an unconventional family arrangement when pregnancy forces them to confront their definitions of motherhood and identity.

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor A shapeshifter navigates gender, desire, and identity across 1990s queer scenes in American cities.

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg A working-class butch lesbian's journey through gender identity and social upheaval in pre-Stonewall America chronicles the intersection of class struggle and gender expression.

🏳️‍⚧️ Casey Plett won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award for her subsequent book, Little Fish, making her one of the first openly transgender authors to receive this prestigious Canadian literary prize. 📚 The book contains 11 interconnected short stories, all focusing on transgender women navigating everyday life, relationships, and identity in various settings across North America. 🌟 Originally published by Topside Press in 2014, the book was later republished by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2021 due to its significant impact and continued relevance in trans literature. ✍️ Several stories in the collection draw from Plett's experiences living in both rural Manitoba and New York City, lending authenticity to the diverse geographic and cultural settings. 🏆 The collection received the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction, establishing Plett as a vital voice in contemporary LGBTQ+ literature.