I trust everyone has read ‘Call Me By Your Name’ or the ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, but there is so much more to queer literature. As LGBTQ+ History Month draws to a close, here are 7 (a short selection of the many beautiful queer books out there) LGBT+ novels you should read.
The Color Purple – Alice Walker (1982)
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, this iconic novel is nothing short of a classic. Published in 1982, the novel evokes the subjects of race, gender, family and sexuality in Georgia, in the 1930s. We follow the protagonist, Celie, a poor and uneducated 14 year old girl, abused by her stepfather and her husband, to whom she is forcefully wedded to as a teenager. Her tale is told through letters to her beloved sister, Nettie, and to God. Walker talks about institutionalized racism Celie is faced with, as a woman of color, taking the readers on a journey towards redemption and love.
TW: sexual abuse
Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin (1956)
Baldwin wrote ‘Giovanni’s Room’ in Paris, in the 1950s. It’s a story about love, and the fear of it. The protagonist, David, moves from America to Paris in order to ‘find himself’. He struggles with his sexuality, and falls in love with David, a young man who offers to share his room. Giovanni’s room becomes a symbol for the sensation of anything you try to hide, and things that you keep hidden and locked away. Baldwin’s second novel is deeply moving, and evokes the intricacies of the human heart, loneliness, and loving freely. Generations of queer people have resonated with it.
In an interview about queer life in 1980, Baldwin said “‘Giovanni’s Room’ is not really about homosexuality. It’s the vehicle through which the book moves. It’s about what happens to you if you’re afraid to love anybody”.
Orlando: A biography – Virginia Woolf (1928)
‘Orlando’, written in 1928 by the iconic Virginia Woolf in, is essentially a love letter to her life long friend, lover, and muse, Vita Sackville-West. Everything is fluid and unlimited, whether it is gender, time, or space. The novel follows Orlando, a young nobleman in the court of Elizebeth I, who is enamored with nature and literature, and has various romances and adventures with fluidly gendered lovers. The novel traces his experience of first love and heartbreak. In the middle of the novel, Orlando travels to Constantinople, and wakes up as a woman. There is little mention of the fact that centuries have passed, allowing for commentary on the condition of women in the 18th and 19th centuries. The novel ends in 1928, when Orlando has become a wife and a mother. This is a symbolic year for Britain: women got the full right to vote, ending the novel on a note of hope and promise for the future of women. ‘Orlando’ is a representation of the human spirit, the mysterious flow of time, and the dichotomies which characterize our thoughts and existence.
Sister Outsider- Audre Lorde (1984)
In this collection of fifteen essays, Lorde explores the ways of increasing women’s empowerment, and explains the concepts of difference, between sex, race and economic status. She highlights the need of an intersectional feminism, the importance of speaking up against injustice, and the horrors causd by capitalism and American imperialism.
She calls us to action: “We are making the future as well as bonding to survive the enormous pressures of the present, and that is what it means to be a part of history.”
Countless other works by Lorde could have been mentioned: such as ‘The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House’ .
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (2019)
In a letter to his mother who cannot read, Vuong takes the voice of the narrator, ‘Little Dog’, a name given to him by his grandmother. Brutally honest, Vuong paints a stunning portrait of a family, about class, race, masculinity and immigration. He portrays the protagonist’s first love with a white boy, his family’s history in the Vietnam War, as well as discussing the themes of addiction, violence, trauma, and the power of telling one’s story. It’s a novel about people caught in two worlds, about healing, and how to survive and rescue ourselves without being lost in the process.
Rendering justice to its title, without a doubt, ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ is brief, and gorgeous.
Girl, Woman, Other– Bernadine Evaristo (2019)
Following the lives of 12 women in Britain, ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ is a love letter to modern Britain and black womanhood. This collection encompasses a diverse range of women of all ages, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, giving voice to underrepresented voices in literature. In Evaristo’s beautiful depiction of modern Britain, all the women are interconnected in direct and less direct ways. ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ touches upon racism and feminism, and is beautifully written, imaginative, compasionate, and human.
‘Girl, Woman, Other’ was the joint winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2019.
TW: rape, racism
Stone Butch Blues – Leslie Feinberg (1993)
‘Stone Butch Blues’, follows Jess, a Jewish tomboy, who runs away from home, searching for community and acceptance. A young butch lesbian in a working class city, prior to the Stonewall events, Jess struggles to find peace in an exploitative and sexist society. This is a novel about gender transformation and exploration, and how Jess finds hope and light in an intersectional community. ‘Stone Butch Blues’ includes, reflections on working class lesbian life in the second half of the 20th century, and historical events such as the Vietnam, War, the rise of unions, police raids, Stonewall.
Considered a canonical work in sexuality and gender studies, Feinberg’s novel approches the queer experience with raw honesty, celebrating the solidarity and resilience of trans and queer people. Feinberg also touches upon trans exclusionary radical feminism, which is still problematic today, highlighting the need for inclsuive intersectional feminism.
TW: sexual assault, physical beatings, instances of misogyny and homophobia