Books that explore gender expansive themes in an explicitly non-labeled way
I recently read Welcome Back Alice/Okaeri Alice, a manga by Shuzo Oshimi. There’s not really any gender non-conforming/trans/gender expansive representation as is, but I was especially taken aback by how this manga approached the topic with no labels, and I want to read a full length novel that does the same. Ideally, I’m looking for a book that features a character that isn’t labeled as either cis or trans explicitly but struggles with their gender identity. It doesn’t even have to be the main plot of the book, as long as it is a somewhat prominent feature of the overall story.
Honestly, the closest I’ve found are some books where it’s ambiguous whether a certain character is some flavor of not cis, gender non-conforming or expansive (take Jo from Little Women, for example). I’d prefer a book that takes that concept and makes it a greater focus in the psychological exploration of the characters.
Thank you!
by birdwyvern
8 Comments
Not sure if [Light from Uncommon Stars](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56179360-light-from-uncommon-stars?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_24) fits the bill, though it might. And it is *excellent.* One of the characters in *Haunting of Hill House* might qualify *as well.*
You might enjoy She Who Becomes the Sun and He Who Drowned The World by Shelly Parker-Chan. Very intriguing exploration of gender and gender identity, without using any modern labels or putting a box around it.
The Lauras by Sara Taylor.
From the blurb, “Told from the perspective of Alex, a teenager who equates gender identification with unwillingly choosing a side in a war.”
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Walking Practice by Dolki Min
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
*What Moves the Dead* by T. Kingfisher, the POV character is nonbinary, and it’s explained in a really interesting way. But it’s not a source of conflict or a plot point.
The Terra Ignota series is honestly so great at this
I’m currently reading the Tamir Triad by Lynn Flewelling, which is old school fantasy about a girl who has to be disguised as a boy by magic in order to eventually fulfill a prophecy (which the current king is trying to stop by killing as many female relatives as possible). I’m in the middle of book 2 and our protagonist is currently struggling with all sorts of issues around gender identity. The first book is *The Bone Doll’s Twin*.
She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker Chan would be perfect for this in multiple ways