Six must-read books that delve into the queer experience

“Only now are we starting to see the vastness, vibrancy and beauty of the queer community reflected in publishing.”

If you’ve spent any time in the world of BookTook, chances are you’ve come across Charlee Brooks. Perhaps most commonly known by his page name, ‘Grandpasbookclub’, Charlee has a casual audience of over 70,000 people, many of whom follow him for his book recommendations and ‘media you can consume instead of doom scrolling’ carousels.

Though his page started as a natural extension of his love for books, it was also created in part to spotlight stories and characters that are often reduced to the margins. “Queer stories are vital,” Charlee tells me. “For too long, they were buried. Discrimination, the AIDS crisis and countless other forces silenced voices that deserved to be heard.”

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As Charlee says, queer narratives have long been treated as a monolith in popular literature. “Only now are we starting to see the vastness, vibrancy and beauty of the queer community reflected in publishing.”

Yet he’s also quick to note that despite the ground gained, queer voices still remain vastly underrepresented and under-platformed in publishing. “It’s more important than ever to read these stories, to show writers, publishers and the world that queer voices deserve not only to be heard but to be celebrated,” Charlee adds.

Naturally, it’s a hard feat trying to pick only a few recommendations, “because what does it mean to distil the vastness of queer experience into 10 books or fewer?”. Yet for us, Charlee has chosen a non-exhaustive list tied together by one common thread: “unapologetic queerness”.

Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter

Some books change you, leaving an imprint so deep that you feel an undeniable need to write about them. Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter is one of those books. Written with urgency, we are brought into the intimate spaces of Johnny, a 45-year-old man reflecting on the loss of his lover decades earlier.

This book is both a love song and a lament. At its core, it is a story of queer bodies, of love and loss and of the unrelenting presence of the past. Set against the backdrop of queer London in the ’90s, the novel takes us into saunas, bars, bathroom stalls and protests, the places where queer bodies sought connection, solace and survival. Charlie Porter transcends the page, offering a testament to queer resilience and memory. Some books are unforgettable. This is one of them.

Get it here.

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Maggie Nelson is an author who has completely changed the way I see the world. I remember reading The Argonauts and feeling the fabric of who I am shift. It blew my little queer mind and never gave it back.

A work of genre-bending auto-theory, this book is, at its heart, a love letter to her gender-fluid partner, Harry. Through reflections on art, feminism, love, identity and motherhood, Nelson builds an intricate and rigorous exploration of sexuality, gender and the preconceived notions of what a family can be.

Her writing is thoughtful, uncompromising and expansive. I promise you’ll feel your brain stretch and grow with every sentence. The Argonauts is generous, fertile and an essential read for anyone who desires.

Get it here.

Love Me Tender by Constance Debré

I couldn’t continue this list without recommending Love Me Tender by Constance Debré. Translated from French into English, this book is a vivid and heartbreaking portrait of the impossible sacrifices asked of mothers.

The first in a three-part series, it’s an autofiction masterpiece, compulsive, sharp and impossible to put down. At once a love letter to a child and to a queer woman’s own becoming, the book follows our narrator as she recounts the loss of her son, after her ex-husband manufactures a string of lies and accusations to separate her from him.

It’s a meditation on the continual demonisation of queer people, the costs of freedom and the pursuit of self-knowledge. This book knocked my socks off and I think it will knock yours off, too.

Get it here.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

If you’re in your twenties and still feeling lost, like me, this is the book for you. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is a novel I regret putting off for so long; now I can hardly believe I waited.

The story follows Iranian American poet Cyrus as he wrestles with what it means to be more than one thing. It circles big, aching questions: What makes a meaningful life? How do we hold our queerness, our art and our histories as we move into the future?

Akbar renders queer relationships with honesty; they are complicated, tender, full of joy and friction, just like any other love. His prose is at once poetic and propulsive, making this a novel you’ll want to devour in one sitting.

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Ponyboy by Elliot Duncan

Ponyboy, the narrator of Elliot Duncan’s debut novel of the same name, is a glorious hot mess. Stuck in an unbreakable cycle, he pops pills, unravels and makes art, all while grappling with his trans-masculine identity.

The novel drifts fluidly between Paris, Berlin and Iowa, offering everything you could hope for in a debut. Queerness seeps through every pore of this book – it’s unapologetic, urgent and alive. Beautifully written, it captures the raw complexities of queer becoming: the joy and ache of self-discovery, the allure of escape and above all, the urgency of coming home to yourself.

Through a narrator as magnetic as he is maddening, Duncan crafts an elegant portrait of what it means to fight, desperately and tenderly, to be seen. This book is unforgettable, perfect for anyone searching for a trans story that is unique, unexpected and richer than anything you’ve read before.

Get it here.

The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

With the boom of queer Greek myth retellings across bookish spaces online, I’ve been surprised not to see The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson making more appearances. In my opinion, this book leaps far beyond most of the retellings currently in circulation.

Full of Carson’s signature wit, the story expands on the myth of Geryon, famous from the tale of Hercules. If you’ve never read Anne Carson before, prepare to have your brain rewired. This novel-in-verse follows Geryon, a young, red-winged monster trying to grow up among ‘normal’ humans in The Red Place. Like so many queer people, he wrestles with his so-called ‘monstrosity’ and the impossibility of fitting in.

What unfolds is a coming-of-age story unlike any other, strange yet universal, filled with love, heartbreak and lines that will rearrange your emotional landscape. This is a masterpiece, funny, devastating, unforgettable and it will always sit on my list of must-reads.

Get it here.

For more queer nonfiction, head here.