This is a novel that really means a lot to me – first written back before I came out as nonbinary, it allowed me to express my ambiguous, confusing feelings about my gender through the character of Rutti. Though Rutti is a much rougher edge than I do, and a great deal more cynicism, The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights was instrumental in me coming to terms with… well, myself.
And what a reception it got! Though it received glowing praise from venues including Paste, Kirkus, Out in Print, My Gay Toronto, and the American Library Association, I was especially touched by individual fans of the book who took the time to contact me so they could let me know how much it meant to them. The novel clearly connected with a lot of people who otherwise felt marginalised, and I’ll never stop being proud of that fact.
While The Giddy Death was out of print, I’d frequently get emails from people trying to get hold of a copy of their very own, so I’m incredibly grateful to Bywater Books, and particularly to Salem West, for taking a chance on the re-edition. I’m also truly grateful to MJ Barker for providing the afterword, and I’m very pleased to count them as my friend.
The new edition also features updated pronouns – times change fast, and in the decade since the novel’s release singular ‘they’ replaced the myriad of terms like sie and hir, and the new version reflects that fact… I mean, I now use singular they myself, so it’s more than a little personal.
The second edition of The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights releases tomorrow, and is available most places, from giant mega-corporations to other giant mega-corporations, as well as indie bookstores and from Bywater Books directly.
Give it a go. As Paste said of the digital version: “It is truly impossible to describe this book in a way that does it justice; just download it immediately.”
I promise it’ll be one of the weirder and more heartfelt things you’ve read.
—Redfern