7 Queer Books by Asian Writers to Add to Your TBR

Heads up, bookworms! There’s still time to catch up on your 2024 TBR (To Be Read) list! We believe there is no better way to celebrate #PrideMonth than to read more books that explore gender issues and queer identity across the many genres we all know and love. And since we’re all about what’s local, we picked stories featuring Asian characters and/or written by talented Asian authors.

From Sci-Fi thrillers to sapphic and BL romances, here are just some recently published and upcoming queer titles that deserve a spot on your shelves. Happy Reading!

Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo

Erewhon Books, May 2024 | Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller

Pitched as “Knives Out” in space with a “Parasite” twist, Filipino author Victor Manibo pens a futuristic genre-bending murder mystery set in a luxury space hotel.

It’s 2089, the earth is dying and only the best of humankind can save themselves. Space Habitat Altair is the premiere luxury resort for the wealthy and privileged, the ideal place to host reunions for the Rochford Institute, a school that boasts the most promising students with the most impressive pedigrees.

"Escape Velocity" tells of the 25th reunion of four characters, all of which have personal missions to accomplish and are pushing for the opportunity to advance their applications to live in an exclusive Mars settlement. But while they attempt to raise their points and keep score, they miss other agendas afoot the Altair which puts everyone’s future at stake.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

MIRA Books, March 2024 | Fantasy, Historical, Romance

How long can their love survive?

Justinian Huang’s genre-bending debut novel is a sweeping romantasy about two men whose lives are intertwined by twists and turns of fate, and a love so powerful that it transcends time itself. It presents their lives in three different time periods from 4 BCE, when an ambitious courtier gets called upon to seduce the young Emperor, to present-day Los Angeles where two college students meet and instantly feel an unshakeable connection.

"The Emperor and the Endless Palace" is a heart-pounding tale with equal parts swoon and erotic thrills, but at its center is an epic love story that defies all odds and stands the test of time.

Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe

Ecco Books, December 2024 | Urban Fantasy, Literary Fiction

A fan of folklore and mythology? Don’t miss Singaporean author Amanda Lee Koe’s reimagining of the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake” as she narrates the story of two sisters, one in Singapore, the other in New York, leading completely different lives but bound together by a mysterious history woven by myth and magic.

Hilarious and brimming with raw emotion, "Sister Snake" is about chosen family, queerness, and being seen for who you truly are.

Amanda Lee Koe was the youngest winner of the Singapore Literature Prize for the short story collection “Ministry of Moral Panic,” and the winner of the Henfield Prize for her debut novel, “Delayed Rays of a Star."

Flèche by Mary Jean Chan

Faber & Faber, March 2019 | Poetry, Non-Fiction

In this poignant, award-winning poetry collection, Mary Jean Chan explores the layers of female identity and sexuality, post-colonialism, and one’s desire for love and acceptance.

“Flèche” is the French word for ‘arrow’ and is used as an offensive technique in fencing, a sport of the HK-born-and-raised author competed in during her young adult years.

“Central to the collection is the figure of the poet’s mother, whose fragmented memories of political turmoil in twentieth-century China are sensitively threaded through the book in an eight-part poetic sequence, combined with recollections from Chan’s childhood.”

The bold collection tackles complex themes from multilingualism to queerness, and beautifully adapts poetic forms and multilingual, multi-layered storytelling.

The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee

Gillian Flynn Books, August 2024 | Young Adult, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery

Singapore-based author Wen-Yi Lee pens a tale about a teen who must return home to confront the monster that took the lives of her best friends — before it takes her, too.

Art student Isadora Chang swore never to return to Slater. Growing up, Isa never felt at ease in her hometown, even before she realized she was bisexual — but after the deaths of two of her friends, Slater had become suffocating. When Isa’s abusive father passes away, she returns with the intention of collecting the inheritance. But then Mason, the son of the local medium, turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by an unknown entity, and he needs Isa’s help to stop it.

Perfect for fans of Stephen King’s “It” and “The Haunting of Hill House,” this is one thrilling debut you won’t want to miss!

Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go by Cleo Qian

Tin House Books, August 2023 | Short Story, Magic Realism, Contemporary

Cleo Qian’s debut is a collection of short stories exploring the lives of Asian and Asian American women in this modern technology-mediated world.

Within the pages of "Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go," you’ll read about a woman who escapes into dating simulations to forget her best friend’s desertion; a teenager who starts seeing sinister omens on people’s bodies after going through a double eyelid surgery; old schoolmates who reunite to participate in a bizarre social experiment in the Japanese mountains; and a supernatural karaoke machine that becomes a K-pop star’s channel for redemption.

These are stories of women refusing stereotypes; questioning conventions and cultural identity; and queer love among Asian girls and women.

A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

Trinity Nguyen’s sweet sapphic romance, "A Bánh Mì for Two" follows Lan, the perfect daughter with a hidden passion for food blogging, and Vivi, a Vietnamese American longing to know more about her family history.

When the two meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a bargain. Lan will show Vivi around the city while helping her piece her mother’s story together through old photographs and fragments of memories, and Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. As they explore the city and dive deeper into their pasts, the two find themselves falling in love.