A piercing short story collection that explores the feverish hunger and dizzying pleasure of girlhood and queer coming-of-age in a small town, from an acclaimed emerging writer

“An ode to Black girlhood in all its forms, each story its own messy, hilarious, profound illustration of desire, friendship, the masks we put on, and the ways we learn to love. T Clark has written a short story collection for the ages.”—Leila Mottley, author of The Girls Who Grew Big

Set mostly in and around a small working-class neighborhood just outside of New York City, Clark’s stories explore the lives of young Black girls, women, and nonbinary characters, slicing through the filmy veil between adolescence and adulthood, between who they’ve been and who they might become.

D’asia’s friendship with a school security guard is teetering close to inappropriate. Chrissy is looking to play roulette on a trip with her boyfriend but ends up in a hotel room with two strangers. Juju’s mother dresses her up for a meeting with a local music producer. A little sister cringes as her friend tries to hook up with her older brother. A fight breaks out at a party and the video goes viral. A woman can’t stop walking by her ex’s window, hoping to catch a glimpse of all she lost.

With sharp sentences and great affection, Clark excavates the push and pull of desire and power running beneath tender and bare moments.