Bellies A novel

Two gay young men, white English university student Tom and fellow student Ming, who is Malaysian, meet at a party and feel an instant attraction. As their relationship evolves, the book's point of view alternates between them, and Tom begins to feel that Ming is keeping secrets that are poisoning the relationship. When Tom himself confesses to having had an aborted sexual encounter with a colleague, Ming tearfully reveals that he plans to transition, a decision that will ultimately result in Ming's ending the relationship. A budding playwright, Ming then writes a play about the relationship that infuriates Tom, who thinks, "I hated Ming. I really, really hated her." Ming then moves from London to New York to study playwriting, while Tom continues working at an investment bank, a job he loathes. A tragedy offers an opportunity for rapprochement, but will they take it? In her debut, Dinan, who speaks of her own transition in an author's note, writes with quiet authority, insight, and compassion. The result is a beautiful work of literature with fully realized, highly empathic characters; her treatment of Ming's transition is superbly and insightfully handled. An important contribution to the slender body of transgender literature.