Trans Historical Fiction Books

A genderqueer angel and a mischievous demon leave their little shtetl when a girl goes missing and the trail to find her leads them to America and a scam targeting unwitting immigrants. Uriel and Ash don’t always see eye to eye, but their deep and heartfelt friendship sustains them. When the chips are down, they have each other—and maybe even some new friends to help them along the way.

This knightly tale inspired by a medieval French poem called Silence follows a girl raised as a boy after the king declares that girls cannot inherit. In a world where gender is sharply defined and everyone and everything has its place, Silence must figure out how they fit into the world. As they follow their dreams of knighthood and chase chivalric ideals, Silence learns how to navigate the medieval world as a person wholly and uniquely theirself.

In late 19th century London, the veil has thinned, but Silas’s mother is concerned only with finding him a husband and refusing to see him as anything other than the girl he was declared at birth. So when Silas makes a desperate attempt to escape an arranged marriage, he’s declared mad and sent away to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School instead of anyone actually listening to him or what he wants. Here, Silas’s gift for speaking with the dead could help him expose the school’s rotten guts—if the instructors don’t break him first.

Two young siblings set out on their own after their father’s death in a small mining town in this gorgeously lyrical novel all about family, identity, and survival. Lucy isn’t sorry to see their father go, but Sam is determined to find the perfect burial spot for him. As they wander in the desert, the spirit of their Ba and the memories of how he and their Ma met years ago and made their way West show just how complicated it is to find a place where—and people with whom—you belong.

Viola Carroll doesn’t have many regrets after leaning into her presumed death at Waterloo in order to become the person she’s always wanted to be. But the misery it must have left her closest friend, the Duke of Gracewood, to suffer alone is one of them. Now, they’ve crossed paths once again, and Viola is determined to help her old friend find a way out of his grief. But Gracewood doesn’t recognize her, and Viola can’t bear to tell him the truth. As they grow closer, will their feelings be able to overcome the burdens and secrets they carry? Well, it’s a historical romance novel, so yes of course they will

This isn’t the truest Pride and Prejudice retelling ever, but that’s to be expected when the second eldest Bennet is a closeted trans boy. While Darcy scorns him at balls when presented in dresses, the same can not be said when the two meet as Darcy and Oliver. As their friendship grows, Oliver realizes the reason for Darcy’s scorn may have more to do with his feelings than his lack thereof. While this element made the story much more fully its own—and I very much enjoyed it—it did remove the element of enemies to lovers so intrinsic to Pride and Prejudice. If you can set aside your expectations of it as a Pride and Prejudice retelling, though, and enjoy it on its own merits, Most Ardently is a wonderful trans historical fiction novel.

A notorious thief by the name of Jack Sheppard and a modern-day professor’s obsessive search to discover his last confessions drive this propulsive story about identity, love, and liberation. When Dr. Voth uncovers a manuscript about an orphan sold into servitude in the eighteenth century, an orphan who desires to be called “Jack,” he’s certain he’s found the writings of Jack Sheppard. But even as he learns Jack’s tale and feverishly works to authenticate it, other powers are hard at work to steal it away.

After her younger brother’s death, the second daughter, fated for nothingness, takes on her brother’s identity and the prophecy of his greatness. Now, presenting as Zhu, she joins a monastery, rising through the ranks from novice to monk. But when the monastery that has shielded her is destroyed for opposing Mongol rule, Zhu decides she must push even harder to avoid her fate and assume the role she was always meant to play.

It’s telling that this is the second trans historical fiction Remixed Classics book on this list after Most Ardently. The series is beautifully committed to showcasing incredible, diverse storytelling. In Anna-Marie McLemore’s take on The Great Gatsby, Nick and Gatsby are both transgender, and Nick’s interest in Gatsby goes beyond friendship. It’s a story about transness, Latine identity, and the failings of the American Dream.