Mac (Marisa) Crane’s Recommended Reading List
Photograph of Mac (Marisa) Crane by Ryan Pfluger
Mac (Marisa) Crane is the author of the newly released novel A Sharp Endless Need (Dial Press, 2025) and their debut novel, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself, which was a January Indie Next Pick, New York Times Editors’ Choice, and LAMBDA Literary Award winner. Mac shares their recommended reading list with us below!
To learn more about Mac and their inspiring career, visit here.
“An immersive, compassionate, and beautiful queer and parenting story that doesn't give in to tropes about trauma or poverty and instead offers humor, care, and hope. Plus, it is set in a location that I've never seen in fiction, and that excites me.”
“Maren is one of the best prose writers of our time, and Sugar Run is incredible for its psychological and emotional complication, empathy, exploration of the prison industrial complex, and toxic queer relationships.”
“This book is my new personality. It's unlike anything I've ever read. It's unhinged, erotic, hilarious, tender, and full of queer yearning.”
“This book takes a well-known tragedy (the death of one's children) and flips it on its head. Yes, it's sad and upsetting, but it's also strange and surprising and sometimes darkly funny in its exploration of grief. Not many people could pull off this delicate balance but Vi Khi Nao does it with flying colors.”
“I think I've inadvertently followed a theme here with this list and that theme is empathy. This book-long letter from a dying homophobic dad to his queer son is a masterclass in storytelling, in not excusing but contextualizing behavior, attitudes, and perspectives. Black interrogates difficult questions about forgiveness, love, and inheritance in this stunning novel.”
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