City of a Thousand Feelings

This book is an airy allegorical trans-centered fantasy novella, following the lives of two trans women. This is a story that focuses on feelings--feelings of loss, grief, and trauma but also hope, connection, and community. If there exists some archetypical "trans hero's journey", then I think this book would exemplify such an arc: first, a failed attempt to be included into "normalcy" or established structures; then, a rejection of that space for solitude; then, gaining knowledge of why the established structures are pretty terrible actually (optional bonus: destroying some of those structures); finally, the creation of and re-joining into a new supportive community.

Some of the metaphors are a little on the nose: a flying city that literally gatekeeps trans folks, the corpse-mongers who blame trans people for their fall from a better world, and a magical sigil written with the words YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE. However, I think it all works for me and I enjoyed this a lot. Yes please, more trans stories by trans authors.

I read this because it's on the Otherwise Award's 2020 Honor List: otherwiseaward.org/award/2020-otherwise-award/2020-honor-list