Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian)

The playful and poignant novel Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) sifts through a queer trans woman’s unrequited love for her straight trans friend who died. A queer love letter steeped in desire, grief, and delight, the story is interspersed with encyclopedia entries about a fictional TV show set on an isolated island.

The experimental form functions at once as a manual for how pop culture can help soothe and mend us and as an exploration of oft-overlooked sources of pleasure, including karaoke, birding, and butt toys. Ultimately, Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) reveals with glorious detail and emotional nuance the woman the narrator loved, why she loved her, and the depths of what she has lost.

AUTHOR

Hazel Jane Plante

Hazel Jane Plante is a librarian, cat photographer, and writer. Her debut novel Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) (Metonymy Press, 2019) won a Lambda Literary Award and was a finalist for both a Publishing Triangle Award and a BC and Yukon Book Prize. She releases music under the name lo-fi lioness.

Reviews

“Hazel Jane Plante’s quirky, queer debut destined to be a cult classic.” –Sue Carter, Toronto Star

“Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) is an unapologetically original amalgamation of many disparate elements: a rough draft of an encyclopedia cataloguing a fictional television show; a profile of a recently deceased friend; a working-through of grief and unreciprocated desire; and a tale of a woman’s gender transition.” –Nour Abi Nakhoul, Quill and Quire (starred review)