As 2025 draws to a close, we're taking a moment to look back at the stories that moved, challenged, and inspired us. This year's literary landscape was a vibrant tapestry of queer experiences, with authors pushing boundaries in every genre. We saw the tender exploration of chosen families, the deconstruction of history through a queer lens, and the unapologetic celebration of our lives in all their messy, beautiful complexity. These weren't just books; they were conversations, reflections, and windows into the vastness of the LGBTQ+ world. Here are the essential reads that defined our year.
New Visions of Family and Community
The concept of 'chosen family' is central to the queer experience, and 2025's fiction beautifully explored this theme in fresh and profound ways.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
Following his breathtaking debut, Ocean Vuong returned with a novel steeped in his signature poetic brilliance. The story of a young man who finds a reason to live through an unlikely bond with an elderly widow is a quiet but powerful meditation on grief, resilience, and the families we build for ourselves when the ones we're born into fail us.
Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
A landmark novel that plunges readers into the vibrant, complex world of queer creatives in Lagos, Nigeria. Osunde masterfully weaves together interconnected lives, creating a kaleidoscopic portrait of survival, art, and self-creation in a society that both celebrates and condemns them. A vital work of African queer fiction.
Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt
This hauntingly beautiful debut captures the breathtaking, world-altering intensity of first love between two teenage boys in rural England. Hewitt, a celebrated poet, uses his lyrical prose to perfectly convey the ache and wonder of queer awakening and the longing for a world bigger than the one you know.
Pushing Boundaries: Genre, Gender, and Identity
This year, authors fearlessly pushed the conventions of genre to tell uniquely queer stories, challenging readers and expanding the possibilities of literature.
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters
After the global phenomenon of Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters came back with a fiercely original and acidly funny collection. The title novel, about rival lumberjacks preparing for a gender-bending dance, is paired with sharp, unsettling stories that dissect desire and identity with Peters' signature wit and deep observational power.
You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
A visceral and unforgettable dive into queer body horror. This novel uses an alien invasion as a powerful lens to explore trans autonomy, survival, and the monstrous ways society polices marginalized bodies. Unflinching, terrifying, and one of the most talked-about genre releases of the year.
Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel
The legendary creator of Fun Home is back! Bechdel's latest graphic novel was a major event, delivering her signature blend of intellectual wit, emotional introspection, and masterful visual storytelling that continues to define the genre.
Reclaiming Our Histories & Realities
Non-fiction in 2025 gave us new ways to understand our icons, our culture, and even the world around us through a queer lens.
Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
This is not just another biography of James Baldwin. Boggs reframes the iconic writer's life through his most significant queer romantic and artistic partnerships, revealing how intimacy and love fueled his revolutionary work. A groundbreaking and deeply personal portrait that recenters the queer heart of a legend.
Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
Ever considered the queerness of fungi? Queer mycologist Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian blends science and memoir to reveal the delightful nonbinary diversity of the natural world, from intersex slugs to mushrooms with thousands of sexes. A mind-expanding read that will change how you see the forest forever.
Actress of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller
A hilarious and heartfelt memoir from the beloved actor, chronicling his two-decade journey to "overnight" success. It’s a candid, funny, and honest look at persistence, identity, and the absurdity of the entertainment industry from a uniquely queer perspective.
Also on Our Shelves:
- Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin: A gripping debut about a queer Stanford grad whose life derails after a wrongful arrest.
- A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle: A moving tribute to queer resilience in 1970s Australia.
- Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor: A must for art lovers, praised for its exquisite prose and sharp insights.
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab: Dark, queer historical fiction from a master of the genre.
