Nevada – Binnie Imogen (2024)

Maria Griffiths is almost thirty, works at a bookstore in New York, and is trying to stay true to her punk values. She is in love with her bike, but not with her girlfriend Steph. She takes pills and drinks more than is healthy, but she doesn't inject anything except estrogen, because she is trans. Everything is generally fine, except that Maria and Steph break up. So Maria sets off on a road trip across the States in a car she stole from her ex-girlfriend. She ends up in a small town called Star City in Nevada, where she meets James, who is probably, but not certainly, trans and who reminds Maria of her younger self. But Maria is definitely not a role model. Or is she? ***** The author Imogen Binnie is herself trans and strongly supported the cult social novel Nevada, which some say even sparked the trend of books about trans characters written for trans people, rather than as explanatory guides for the cisgender population containing some ideal model of a perfect, balanced trans woman. Through the main character Maria, Nevada, formally wrapped in the guise of a road trip, presents a series of reflections on heteronormativity, gender, and related topics; it is no wonder that it has inspired many other authors.