Pretend I’m Not Here features characters struggling with sex, identity and meaning in a world collapsing around them. Everyone is longing for something—the beloved, a newborn child, even annihilation. 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.