The best LGBT uplit novels

This was one of the first queer ‘uplit’ novels I ever read, and prior to this, I didn’t even know queer uplit was a thing! Set in country England, it’s about an elderly postman who comes out as gay, then sets out to find his long-lost love. It reminded me so much of Eleonor Oliphant is Completely Fine in terms of tone. Witnessing this broken and lonely character slowly come out of his shell and start to live his best life, at the same time tackling the demons of his past, is such a joy. It has all the warm and fuzzies you could want, while still tackling some serious issues around shame and the importance of self-love.

This book was just so much fun. Full of wit, heart, and laugh-out-loud jokes, The Guncle is about a middle-aged gay man who takes on caring responsibilities for his young niece and nephew. It was the sweet relationship that develops between the main character and these kids that made this book a standout for me – you will fall in love with the children and their innocence, but more importantly, your heart will melt as you start to see our protagonist learn from these children some important lessons about responsibility, family, and love.

This is such a life-affirming Australian story about a transgender teen and how their unlikely friendship with an elderly man sets them on a path to self-acceptance and peace. There are some heavy themes explored in this book – from suicide to drug abuse – but it is ultimately an uplifting and deeply moving novel that is told in such a tender way. It personally opened my eyes to the struggles transgender people go through with gender dysphoria, and shows how having the right people in your life can be the difference between life and death. It’s essential reading for LGBT people and allies.

This novel contains one of the most beautiful and simultaneously heartbreaking ‘coming out’ storylines I have read in a long time. Dan is a psychologist living with OCD. He knows he’s gay but has never had the courage to come out (let alone sleep with another man). I just loved seeing this character come out of his shell bit by bit and wrestle with all the feelings that come with lust and first love. It was an absolute joy to read (along with the other two major storylines), it was unpredictable, sweet, and genuinely took my breath away.   

Okay, so this book isn’t exactly ‘feel good’ ... far from it. But it is a realistic and unflinching portrayal of gay life in the Grindr era, and for that reason I couldn’t not include it. I read this book at a time when I myself was exploring the world of online gay dating, and boy did it leave an impression. The story follows a gay man who lives a superficial, unfulfilled life of self-destruction and fleeting connections with men on Grindr. It’s beautifully handled and holds up a mirror to a section of the gay community that I had never seen depicted in a book before. It’s quite brutal in its honesty, but any novel that depicts gay life in today’s modern world in an authentic way – no matter how ugly that might be – is a winner in my book!