The Body Riddle by Sam K. MacKinnon
The Body Riddle is a coming-of-age story that happens later in life. It captures the uncertainty of stepping into a new body and the panic of wondering if a decision can be right even after years of thinking it through. Lex’s experience is shaped by constant change and stagnant repose, learning how to navigate their worldview as they uncover new truths about themselves. At the center of the story is the importance of gay community. Even when Lex is unsure, withdrawn, or lashes out, the people around them continue to show up. As a transmasc autistic character, Lex is deeply unsure of their own importance, shaped by years of not being out or fully honest about who they are. This self-doubt makes them an unreliable narrator at times. The Body Riddle is less about having answers and more about allowing yourself the time and care to keep asking questions, even when you think you should already know who you are.
The Body Riddle by Sam K. MacKinnon, (List Price: $21.99, House of Anansi Press, 9781487013912, May 2026)
Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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“I think that we certainly talk about pregnancy and motherhood and reproductive freedoms. These are conversations that we are having, but within pretty narrow parameters. And what I liked about this idea was the opportunity to talk about some of those issues from a different lens than usual — not least because so many people’s minds are already made up about so many of these ideas, and that means that we can’t really have a conversation. But if we change the lens, if we change the approach, if we change the givens and the parameters that we go in with, then we get to have a conversation.
