The Body Riddle: A Novel

What if the body you fought for no longer fits the life you built before it?

When Lex finally receives a date for their chest surgery, they’re not sure if they want to go through with it. But it’s been a year since they’ve had sex with their cis partner, Ada, who believes Lex’s surgery will rekindle their kinky dynamic.

When surgery doesn’t have the outcome either expects, Lex, in the spirit of their non-monogamous relationship, tries to support Ada's new romance with Noah, a cis man. But Lex’s jealousy spirals―Is Ada replacing them? And does she prefer cis masculinity after all?

Then Lex meets Sadie, a magnetic nonbinary coworker who awakens a new attraction. Lex thought they were only attracted to women and has never dated another trans person. Unsure about their changing sexuality, Lex hides the budding romance from Ada. As secrets build, Lex must decide what kind of love―and life―they really want.

Sharp, intimate, and tender, The Body Riddle is about queer longing, identity, and the messy beauty of reconfiguring desire on your own terms.

SAM K MACKINNON is a queer, trans writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation. Their writing has been published in Catapult, Prairie Fire, CBC, Them, and elsewhere. Sam was nominated for the John Hirsch Emerging Manitoba Writer Award in 2022.