It’s more important than ever now to understand the importance of gender identity and embrace gender-queer folks who may not always feel represented in the literary landscape. We shouldn’t just relegate the conversation about LGBTQIA+ to June. That’s why, this month, we are bringing you nine of the best reads that feature non-binary characters and/or written by a non-binary author.
Here, you’ll find various genres, such as graphic novels, middle grade, memoirs, etc. These works focus on the pride, triumphs, and struggles within the non-binary community.
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
This novel is set in the early 90s as we follow Paul, a 22-year-old queer college student just trying to figure out where he fits in this coming-of-age story. As we see him explore his sexuality while working, studying, finding love, and navigating the conservative landscape of the early 90s as the queer community reels from the AIDS crisis. But he’s also hiding a secret: he can shapeshift. Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl explores the limits of categorization, especially when you can change your form at will. This novel is perfect for those who want a bit of throwback and/or want to support non-binary authors like Andrea Lawlor.
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
When Ben de Backer comes out to their parents, they are thrown out of their house and forced to live with their sister, Hannah, and her husband. On top of that, their parent’s rejection takes a toll on Ben, who’s already suffering from anxiety and depression. Now, Ben needs to survive the rest of their senior year of high school, but then they meet Nathan. What starts as an unexpected friendship grows into something more. I Wish You All the Best now has a film adaptation, which was released last year with stars like Cole Sprouse and Alexandra Daddario!
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Gender Queer is Maia Kobabe’s illustrated autobiography detailing Kobabe’s life through puberty, pap smears, gay erotic fanfiction, and the struggle to come out to friends and family. Kobabe uses e/em/eir pronouns, with Gender Queer serving as much more than eir personal story. As one of the most banned books in 2021 in the US, it’s a must-read for everyone, which asks us what gender identity is and how we should talk about it.
Truth & Dare by So Mayer
Truth & Dare breaks the boundaries of genre as an anthology of stories and essays ranging from sci-fi to memoir and everything in between in Mayer’s fantastical exploration of gender, trauma, science, religion, and history. Between the pages, you’ll find Cornish mermaids, the uncovered history of the Witchcraft Act of 1927, the devil at a gay bar in London, and so much more. For those who aren’t afraid to read outside the box, this is for you!
Chlorine by Jade Song
Somewhere between horror and literary fiction sits Chlorine. It’s a stunning debut about Ren Yu, a swimmer, and the pressures put on her as an athlete. This novel unpacks misogyny, racism, immigration, and the external pressures to do better. Be better. Ren Yu not only wants to be a swimmer, but a mermaid too, and she’ll do anything to get what she wants. If you love anything horror or sapphic, I definitely would recommend picking this up.
Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff
There is a new kid in town, and Anabelle Blake couldn’t be more excited. She is quick to befriend the new kid, Bailey, and finds herself gravitating toward him. He smells nice, loves hanging out at his house and hearing about his life in Seattle. Sixth grade isn’t so dull anymore. When her father reveals he is trans, she begins to see her family in a new light. Together, Anabelle and Bailey examine what gender categories really mean, and maybe they aren’t as concrete as they initially thought.
Gender Euphoria edited by Laura Kate Dale
Gender Euphoria is an anthology of 19 trans, non-binary, gender-fluid, intersex, and agender writers sharing their stories of gender euphoria, the happiness non-cisgender people feel when their gender identity is affirmed and embraced by others, and more importantly, themselves. This anthology aims to focus on the joy and ecstasy of coming out as non-cisgender to counteract the countless narratives of genderqueer stories that focus on gender dysphoria.
The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison
The Booker Prize 2020 Dutch novel follows young Jas, who lives in the rural Netherlands with her devout Christian family. After their oldest son dies, the family is torn apart by grief and plunged into the darkness they may not be able to recover from. The Discomfort of Evening is a story of grief and the impact religion can have on a family. I am so excited to be adding a translated work by a non-binary author to this list, it’s relatively short, so it’s a quick but impactful read.
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
This stunning graphic novel, On A Sunbeam, follows Mia, who is part of a space crew charged with repairing ruins in space to piece together the past. Interspersed with the narrative is Mia’s time at boarding school, when she fell in love with another student. As the timelines converge, we discover the truth behind Mia’s involvement in the crew. This graphic novel is written and illustrated by the talented Tille Walden, who is also non-binary.
Whether the author is non-binary or the story features a character who is non-binary, these nine books feature amazing stories and narratives you can’t miss. It’s important that as readers, we are consuming stories about and from diverse voices to broaden our own narratives but also ensure that those narratives keep being told.
Want to learn more about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, click here!
To browse more books with LGBTQIA+ representation on Bookstr’s bookshelf, click here!
