The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin contains all the classic elements of a science fiction novel: an alien race, a harsh and unforgiving world, and interstellar travel, but the crux of it all revolves around a simple friendship being formed. It is in this friendship between the two narrators of the story that we find out a great deal about ourselves and our own way of living and forming connections.

The story takes place on a cold, ...