It’s 2016. Ezra, a queer, Jewish person living in New York, is carrying out their last act of protest outside of Trump Tower. In their final moments, we’re given kaleidoscopic flashes of the 27 years between their birth and their ultimate decision to end things. The question of how someone ends up taking their own life in protest is an interesting one, and Sam Sax doesn’t attempt to provide one clear answer. Instead, they look at the cumulative effect of oppression, hopelessness and trauma on a young person. Yr Dead is a novel that’s not afraid of being bizarre, which is both its strength and its weakness. It occasionally goes on strange tangents, hopping to the perspectives of other characters, which watered down the concept for me. But while it often tries a bit too hard to be poignant and touching, it can also be beautifully written and thought-provoking. MG

Published by Daunt Books