Trans people have always existed. Transgender Day of Remembrance is November 20th, a day to mark trans lives lost to violence, observed after Transgender Awareness Week. Here are some recent adult fiction books that capture the history, complexity, and dynamism of the trans experience.
Mad Eden, the debut novel by Morgan Thomas, author of the short story collection Manywhere, is receiving a ton of hype (National Book Award finalist!) and deservedly so. This inventive and heart-wrenching read focuses on one summer in the life of Ro, a patient navigator for trans folks seeking gender-affirming care who has recently received an autism diagnosis, and their partner Liam. The two live in a ramshackle cabin in rural Florida, where they also temporarily house Quentin, a trans teen on his way to college. Embedded in the novel is the titular “Mad Eden,” an anonymously published online fantasy serial that’s written entirely in words from a scholarly paper on autism. As the starred review from Publishers Weekly concludes, “Lacing traditional narrative elements with snippets of social media posts, emails, and chapters from ‘Mad Eden,’ Thomas’s gorgeously constructed story explores difficulties of love, as Ro, a refreshingly complex protagonist, weighs their idyllic bliss with Liam against their desire to help those in need.”
Emily St. James’ Woodworking is a heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between a closeted trans high school teacher and her 17-year-old openly trans student who are both navigating their conservative South Dakota community. Erica Skyberg is recently divorced, out as a woman only to herself, until she comes out to Abigail, the solitary out trans student who has recently transferred into her classroom. As each navigates through dating, friendships, and the future, their bond provides a reminder that connection is possible even in the loneliest circumstances.
Hot Girls With Balls by Benedict Nguyễn offers a satirical and timely take on gender in sports, internet fame and discourse, and the burden of being the face of a community. Six and Green, girlfriends and the only two out Asian trans women in professional indoor men’s volleyball, have developed quite the fanbase through both their social media and their playing, in a world where volleyball has become corporatized and super popular. Set in the lead-up to and rematch of their rival teams competing against each other, and amidst the breaking news story of the murder of three Asian trans women, the novel looks sharply at the pressures faced by trans people to justify their identities.
Local author and activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore might be best known for her nonfiction writing, but her latest novel, Terry Dactyl, is a fantastic narrative spanning decades, from the height of the AIDS crisis to the COVID pandemic. We follow the titular Terry as a young trans woman who has relocated from queer group houses in Seattle to New York City, working as a dancer and eventually ending up in the art gallery world. She continues losing friends and lovers to AIDS, then moves back to Seattle at the advent of COVID and the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Through it all, the transcendent power of the dance floor remains.
If you want to stay local, the stories in Max Delsohn’s Crawl bring to life the transmasculine experience in 2010s Seattle. Navigating moments of self-discovery or relationship tension, the characters in Delsohn’s stories are seeking connection and love in bars, clubs, workplaces, music venues, bathhouses, and the beach. With sardonic humor and heartfelt honesty, these stories will stick with you.
For more titles, check out this booklist.
You can also commemorate Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Remembrance at the Beacon Hill Branch, on November 19, with former library Artist-in-Residence Vaquero Azul, with a presentation on Nichos in Mesoamerican culture, followed by a workshop to create Nichos for trans leaders and loved ones.
~posted by Jane S.
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