Arresting, darkly funny, and unsettling, Chouette is a brilliant exploration of ambition, sacrifice, perceptions of ability, and the ferocity of motherly love. "Listen! I will be honest with you, I do not offer the old smooth prizes..." I review books here on goodreads as my fashion-conscious bibliophilic alter ego, "Lark Benobi."
In its exploration of difference – of disability, of queerness – it feels truly modern, but in its themes of love and sacrifice, it is the oldest tale in the world. Chouette is published by Virago (£14.99). To support the Guardian and the Observer buy a copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
People keep asking me whether the child in the novel Chouette is meant to represent an autistic child, or a trans child, or an autistic trans child, or some other kind of child. The book is fiction. The child in the novel is an owl. Happy Reading!