A review by jayisreading
Any Other City by Hazel Jane Plante

4.5

When I found out that Hazel Jane Plante had another novel coming out last year, I was thrilled. I absolutely loved her debut novel, so I had high hopes. I admit that I didn’t love Any Other City as much as Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian), though that isn’t to say that I thought it was bad by any means (quite the contrary). Plante delivers a compelling story about messy trans feelings and beautiful trans worldmaking through a fictional memoir written by a trans indie rock musician, Tracy. Process is at the center of this novel, whether it be the process of songwriting, healing from trauma, or trying to make sense of gender and sexuality. Process is not straightforward, which is demonstrated in the nonlinear narrative of this fictional memoir. Process is also not clearcut, and the goal is frequently hidden, even lost. I would definitely say that this was done deliberately because trans life can be difficult to follow. However, part of the process is trusting it, and Plante asks the reader to have faith in her, in her protagonist, in trans women, and to hear her/their story/ies. 

I truly look forward to Plante’s next piece of writing, whatever that may be, because I know she will continue to deliver something heartfelt and stunning.
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