Herculine

Herculine by Grace Byron is an interesting glimpse into the lives of several trans women through the eyes of an unnamed narrator, herself a trans woman.

The initial plot is fairly straightforward and has the makings for a dramedy from CW alongside Charmed or the Slayerverse. The narrator makes a break to NYC from the Midwest, scraping by in dead-end jobs in hopes of making it as a writer - while not writing very much, trying to find romance, spending time with her friends - mostly other trans women, and ignoring the literal demons that plague her when her ex-girlfriend invites her to live on her commune back in Indiana - where things are quickly revealed to be not quite as idyllic as advertised.

The story is peppered with the narrator’s thoughts about her transition, her childhood - including conversion therapy, and her relationships.

Herculine feels like a book that is deeper than it seems on the surface, starting with the choice not to give the narrator a name and what that says about her identity as a trans woman or how she feels invisible - it seems a deliberate choice not only on the author’s part but also on the narrator’s not to give it. There’s also a lot going on with the idea of demons - literal and metaphorical and how much one will sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

Herculine is also just a funny, sad, horrific story about friends, family, and being sacrificed to or otherwise ripped apart by demons.

And bonus points for the reference to the dark Americana popularized by shows like Twin Peaks. I don’t even like pie, but, thanks to Dale Cooper, I always want to have pie in diners.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the advance copy for my honest review.

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