The 7 Books That Inspired Grace Byron’s New Novel ‘Herculine’

Journalist Grace Byron’s debut novel Herculine (Simon & Schuster), out next week, follows an unnamed protagonist from New York to the would-be promised land of her ex-girlfriend’s all-trans-girl commune in the woods of Indiana. Witty, often-chilling, compulsively readable, it’s a saga rich with literary references, both implicit and explicit. (The mysterious rural camp at its center is, of course, named after the 19th-century intersex memoirist Herculine Barbin.)

Horror and sci-fi fans may not be surprised to see the likes of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Ursula K. Le Guin on Byron’s list of the authors and books that helped inspire her own, but she also name-checks Lauren Oyler, Patricia Lockwood, and other contemporary writers chronicling our debilitatingly online era. See Byron’s full list below.

The Birthday of the World by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Birthday of the World: And Other Stories

I always wanted to be a writer, but I took many vacations and short forays into other mediums. Rereading Le Guin many years ago, however, I decided I did want to write. Her science-fiction made me see the world differently, more gently, with a sharp bend towards politics. There are a million entry points and all of them are a major influence on my work. I chose The Birthday of the World because it has many of my favorite Le Guin stories and a lot of bizarre, fascinating short stories about queer relationship patterns, like “Unchosen Love” and “Mountain Ways.” She’s the GOAT. I learn from her every time I dive back in. If you haven’t read the Earthsea books or Five Ways to Forgiveness, go for it. Now. I’m waiting.

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

The grumpy, spiralling first-person Bernhard-influenced New York novel is a big part of Herculine. I loved Fake Accounts and many of the so-called internet novels. Their grim, cynical, bitter outlook heavily influenced the voice of the book. I love Renata Adler, Joan Didion, Sigrid Nunez, and all the women who know how to make complaining flawlessly beautiful. Their “I” becomes a brutal, kaleidoscopic telescope.

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

There are so many great trans books that had an impact on Herculine, but Gretchen Felker-Martin is a huge influence. Manhunt is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s a must-read. Of course, Imogen Binnie, Torrey Peters, Casey Plett are extremely influential and important too, in the way they tackle T4T, insularity, hope, and love.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

So little fiction takes spirituality seriously. For a long time I thought I would write a sort of trans Marilynne Robinson book. I didn’t, but her writing, for better and worse, still feels like a foil to mine. I write both in and against the longing and crisp dedication she aspires to. Despite my gripes, she is one of our finest novelists.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

I wrote a piece in The Baffler a while back about exorcisms and for the piece I re-read a lot of Lewis. He’s a master. This book on temptation and modernity is genius. His prose and characters crackle with transgressive glee. It’s a wild, subversive book—and another rare book of “Christian fiction” that is bewitching to both the believer and the heathen.

Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

Who knew God could be so funny before Lockwood? Her work is electric. I thought I wanted to write a memoir like this for a long time—something like Boy Erased, but with more schlocky jokes. Alas, I split the difference, opting for what Carmen Maria Machado dubbed “speculative autofiction” in regards to her short story “The Tour.”

Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard

A long time ago, I saw Sarah Thankam Mathews speak on writing and publishing. Often, it’s a slog. She said to choose three books that made you want to become a writer and enshrine them on your bookshelf. This was one of mine—alongside Beloved by Toni Morrison and everything by Ursula K. Le Guin. Dillard’s words always echo in my ear—the way nature is a violent cathedral to the world. Her writing, alongside Buddhist texts, Assata Shakur, Kathy Acker, and Mary Oliver influenced some of the later, weirder passages in the book.

Grace Byron’s Herculine is out on October 7.