Ocotillo

by Arana

Editor: "But about Ocotillo: this kind of work is something we've only seen once before in the series, with the first installment of Cy Sevalle's Woman is the Machine That I Am - it's a sustained work of fiction that builds out a world filled with original characters in which a complex trans protagonist is able to live and breathe. This in itself is a small miracle; to date there's still a staggering lack of novella/novel-length fiction writing by trans women. Ocotillo is also unique in that Araña is working in the YA genre and subverting its conventions while still giving us exactly what YA promises to deliver: a deeply affecting story that sweeps us a along on a journey of self-discovery, personal transformation, a yearning search for love, and a struggle against the odds without ever deceiving us with neat resolutions. The central characters in Ocotillo are just about to start high school, and they're fully aware of the social demands being made of them as they begin the march toward adulthood - if this was a blurb at the back of a book, I'd pose the question at the heart of this story: will our cast of characters find it in themselves to resist conformity or will they crushed by the terrible expectations they face? You'll have to read Ocotillo to find out."

34 pages, ebook

First published December 1, 2019