Queer love – Sapphic fiction

In need of some women-loving-women-storytelling? 

Yearning for something well written and free from bigotry? Sometimes you just need your book to be a safe space. And you want to see those protagonists fall for the right person… that’s right: another sapphic!

We’ve got just the book for you! Even better: an entire list to keep on reading wlw.

Disclaimer: Of course there are many ways to define Sapphic Fiction. For us, for now, for these purposes; let’s say at least one protagonist is a woman* or enby** in love, and/ or in some kind of romantic or sexual relationship with a woman or enby. The love part can either be unrequited yearning or full-on-couple-goals relationship, and anything in between. The writing style and narrative could be romantic, literary, experimental, gothic, surreal, poetic or anything you can think of.

We’ll keep on updating and adding titles, and will add more descriptions and tags over the coming weeks.

Do you miss something in the list? Let us know your suggestions, if they are a match for our collection we’ll add them gladly! (Our shop is very small so we’ll never be comprehensive, but we love to hear about your favourites!

We’re also working on a Dutch list, and many more lists to come.

 

The Safekeep – Jaël van der Wouden

 

Big Swiss – Jen Beagin

 

This is How You Lose the Time War – Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

 

In the Dream House – Carmen Maria Machado 

 

One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston

 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club + A Scatter of Light – Malinda Lo

 

She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parker-Chan

fantasy, non-binary protagonist

 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers

 

* By “woman” we mean any kind of woman: girly, tomboy, androgynous/femme fatale etc. Including trans women. Because, to be clear; trans women are women. 

**Enby: short colloquial term for a non-binary person, also known as NB. An enby is someone with a gender identity which does not fit in the more known labels man or woman, but rather as fluid, or somewhere in between those two genders, or not recognising a connection to the gender binary at all. For an enby, it just doesn’t feel right being called man or woman, he or she. Enby’s often use they/them pronouns instead of he/him or she/her, for instance. You can’t always see someone is nonbinary by looking at them. Enby’s, just like anyone, can dress however they want, and do not owe anyone their androgyny, nor need they perform neutrality in their gender expression.

If you don’t know someone and want to refer to them, it’s always kind to ask which pronouns they use! (See how easy they/them can be used in a sentence?)