Bookshelf

Alumni and faculty members who would like to have their books considered for this listing should contact Stacey Himmelberger, editor of Hamilton magazine. This list, which dates back to 2018, is updated periodically with books appearing alphabetically on the date of entry.

Pretend I’m Not Here by Trey Sager ’95.

June 19, 2026

Tags Alumni Book

(ELJ editions, 2026).

The author's debut short story collection features characters struggling with sex, identity, and meaning in a world collapsing around them. There’s an aging actress who falls in love with a fictional character. A melancholic sex robot that wanders the streets of New York. A man searching for his beloved inside the chaos of an anti-war protest. Indeed, everyone is longing for something — even annihilation. As the publisher notes, “Cities burn, protests rage, isolation intensifies. A motif of masks and costumes runs throughout as characters experiment with who they are and struggle for connection in an absurd world. Though bleak, many of the stories end with a moment of dark optimism.”

As one reviewer wrote, “Trey Sager’s stories illuminate people who prefer shadows. His beautifully written, very compelling stories engage the reader in characters whose interior lives are at odds with their place in the world. They doubt and have no idea they have a place in it. Sager’s take on friendships and family recognize hurt and alienation, where life is always puzzling. His stories disdain the obvious for the intriguing, subtle, and intelligent. Sometimes perverse and never sentimental, Trey Sager’s debut collection welcomes a wonderful, unusual writer.”