Runs in the Blood

A dark and funny short story collection that reveals poignant truths about queer chosen family.

"These darkly satirical yet poignant stories about queer chosen family are the next big thing in queer fiction, solidifying Matthew J. Trafford as a rising doyen of the craft." --Strand Bookstore

A lesbian mother feels out of place taking her daughter to a princess party; a gay couple turns to unconventional means to create their baby; a grieving man winds up on a date with a centaur; an agoraphobic must make an impossible choice before time runs out. This is the unnerving world of Runs in the Blood, Matthew J. Trafford's sophomore story collection, and it pulses with humour, anxiety, and profound disquiet.

Darkly satirical and unflinchingly human, the stories of Runs in the Blood unsettle our notions of family, whether biological or chosen. Careening through the space beyond nature versus nurture, its characters--betrayed, wounded, unequipped--wrangle with their own worst instincts and the grotesqueries of the modern world, attempting to create families worth holding on to and to protect the children they love.

Delightful and disarming, odd and audacious, Runs in the Blood announces the return of a bold and fearless writer.

Matthew J. Trafford (he/him) holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. His first collection of stories, The Divinity Gene (Douglas & McIntyre), garnered critical acclaim in the US and Canada. He continues to write and teach fiction and has recently developed a fibre arts practice, knitting and designing knitwear as Fairy Godfather Knits. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.