Point of View

First-person POV. Meant to show the reader the world through the eyes of a transgendered person in a way that third-person POV cannot. Also, first-person POV sidesteps the use of gender pronouns ("he" and "she," "him" and "her") which do not correspond with the individual's gender identity. Author Leslie Feinberg prefers the use of gender-neutral pronouns - "sie" instead of "he" or "she", "hir" instead of "his" or "him" or "her," which are rarely used outside of the transgendered community and would be foreign to most readers.

Setting

The setting is mostly in the state of New York — Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and New York City. A small part takes place in the unnamed desert town where Jess is born. No matter where she goes, Jess carries the desert with her, as a peaceful place to which she can "return" in times of stress and sorrow...