Pride is going to be very different this year. The rainbow parades which bring with them such joy and freedom simply can't be done this year. For most people, they won't even be able to leave the house to celebrate. It's going to be hard for many people to not be able to attend this celebration of their identity, a safe space that let's them be the most them they can be.
BUT!
That doesn't mean Pride Month will pass without recognition or celebration. To contribute what I can to 2020 Pride, I thought I'd share some of mine and my sister's favourite queer fiction. It goes without saying that this isn't a comprehensive list so if your favourite book isn't on the list, feel free to recommend them in the comments!
Love Simon, Becky Albertalli
Shall we start with the obvious?
I know everyone will have heard of Love Simon since the film was a bit of smash hit, but I had to include it on my list of recommendations because it remains one of my favourite books with a gay protagonist. Mostly because of the incredible way coming out is handled in this book. Again and again Simon visits the idea that coming out shouldn't have to be a thing - or that everybody should have to do because heterosexuality should not be expected. But also that coming out is a sort of prerogative for queer people and that nobody should be able to take that moment away from them. It's just so beautiful.
(And yes, you can watch the film if you don't want to read the book because honestly they handled it really well.)
"I'm tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again."
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is one of my sister's favourite authors (in her words, she's "read all of her gay books") and it took a while for her to narrow it down to just one book to recommend. She ended up going for Fingersmith: a "mysterious but not a mystery" novel set in Victorian England. Apparently not too much can be said of the plot because it has too many twists and double crossings to tell me much without spoiling the story but I'm assured it's an incredible book.
Following Sue, an orphan and pickpocket, as she joins the household of a gentlewoman, the book takes you into a Dickensian London where deceit is ever-present. Sue's position as a maid is itself a ruse; the aim to encourage the gentlewoman to marry a conman to get at her fortune. And since this is spoiler free, I can't say anything more except that, inevitably, Sue starts caring for her mark more than she intended to.
“But, here was a curious thing. The more I tried to give up thinking of her, the more I said to myself, 'She's nothing to you', the harder I tried to pluck the idea of her out of my heart, the more she stayed there.”
The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
Otherwise known as the best book ever written - yes, I will fight you about this.
I know, I recommend this on like every list I
make but it's because it is so well written, it handles both history and queerness so beautifully, and makes me cry Every. Damn. Time.
"Relief broke in his face, and he reached for me. I let him hold me, let him press us length to length so close that nothing might fit between us. Tears came, and fell. Above us, the constellations spun and the moon paced her weary course. We lay stricken and sleepless as the hours passed.”
The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith
The inspiration for the Cate Blanchett film, 'Carol', The Price of Salt was originally written in 1952 under a pseudonym. It follows the lives of Carol Aird and Therese Belivet as they fall in love and travel across the United States - pursued by a Private Investigator.
It's noted for being the only novel by Highsmith with "a conventional 'happy ending'" - which I guess could be counted as a spoiler, but sometimes its nice to know that queer characters actually get some happiness! (On the other hand, when I spoke to my sister about including this book, she wasn't too sure she remembered a 'happy ending' so...you'll have to let me know?)
“'Do people always fall in love with things they can't have?' 'Always,' Carol said, smiling.”
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth
My sister reassures me that the book is better than the film (shocking, I know). The first half is a fairly slow, fairly typical coming of age novel set in the 1990s. Cameron loses her parents, moves to live with her conservative aunt and old-fashioned grandma and becomes an expert at blending in.
Until she kisses her best friend and is sent to a conversion therapy camp.
Cameron Post is definitely a coming of age story, but it might not be the one you're used to. It's about loss, internalised homophobia, self-acceptance, and growth. It gets mixed reviews but is certainly an interesting read.
“I just liked girls because I couldn't help not to.”
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Middlesex is a long and, to tell the truth, occasionally tedious book. I say this because it covers three generations of a family, and whilst they're lives are definitely interesting and there's a lot of real history and culture tied into it, I feel it's only fair to warn you that sometimes it takes a while to get somewhere.
That being said, it's the only book I've read with an intersex character and I found it to be so enlightening. In fact, I'm not sure I'd heard the word "intersex" before reading this book. It's a fascinating look at gender, presentation, and the role of family in identity.
"I never felt out of place being a girl, I still don't feel entirely at home among men."
Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon
Confession time: neither of us have read Priory of the Orange Tree, but it's recommended so much that I couldn't resist adding it to the list!
Since I can't say much about Priory other than it has a gorgeous cover, here's the Goodreads description:
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
“I do not sleep because I am not only afraid of the monsters at my door, but also of the monsters my own mind can conjure. The ones that live within.”
These Witches Don't Burn, Isabel Sterling
I've been meaning to read this for the longest time without ever realising my sister had the audiobook version; when she added it to this list, I instantly moved it to the top of my TBR. The book opens with Hannah and her girlfriend, Veronica, breaking up and making life in the coven kinda awkward. And then a blood ritual at the end-of-school-year bonfire throws a bit of spanner in the works and means they have to work together to figure out who is
putting their town at risk. Also there's a new girl and lots of questioning whether flirting is flirting because is she gay or not?
In short: lesbian witches save the world. What's not to love?
"She'll never understand. The realisation washes all the fight out of me, leaving behind only heartache. I gently pull my wrist from her grip. 'Because,' I say, my voice so soft it's nearly swallowed up by the trees, 'I'm standing here, telling you how much you hurt me, and you can't hear it.'"
The Colour Purple, Alice Walker
I know this is on a lot of English reading lists (or else, banned from schools) but I think it's such an underrated book.
Admittedly, it's kind of hard to read; the language is the first hurdle you come up against, with the entire thing being written with in a deep South American dialect. But then the subject matter is just as hard. Born into poverty and segregation, Celie is repeatedly raped, her children taken away from her, she's separated from her sister and forced to remain in an abusive marriage. It's really heavy stuff, but Celie is transformed by her relationship with singer Shug Avery and finding strength within herself to keep going.
“Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.”
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, Jaye Robin Brown
One of my sister's favourite books, Georgia Peaches questions what happens when you have to go back in the closet - even if your girlfriend is willing to come out for you.
Joanna has been out for years, but when she moves to a small, conservative neighbourhood with her father and her new step-family, her dad asks if she'll just keep things on the down-low for a year. And Joanna agrees; it's not the end of the world and if it's going to help her family get a long then that's fine.
And then Joanna falls for someone at her new school and it's all just bit awkward. My sister called it a very "wholesome" love story, emphasising how rare it is to find a simple queer love story, with believable conflicts.
“I want to feel proud and happy about my selflessness. But what happens when being selfless takes away a big part of your self?”
It's so important to read and support queer fiction. There are hundreds of books out there I could put on this list and (thankfully!) more and more being released. Check buzzfeed's list of LGBTQ+ YA books for some more great recommendations!
I'm always looking for more inclusive books to read so if you have any recommendations of your own - drop them in the comments below!