It was published in 1992 by Sinclair-Stevenson[1] and won both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize[2] and Prix Femina étranger.

So begins Mary's heroic struggle to change gender, while around her others also strive to find a place of safety and fulfilment in a savage and confusing world".

[5] Positive review extracts on the back cover of the 2002 Vintage edition : Stephen Dobyns writes for the New York Times, "a book that makes us feel good about the state of fiction in an uncertain market"[6] Novelist Lynn Freed observes "The writing... is sheer delight.

[7] Filmmaker Jan Dunn has acquired the film rights to the novel and is adapting the screenplay.

This article about a novel of the 1990s with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer theme is a stub.