When I think of books I’ve read that stick out to me, Any Other City sits at the top of the list. You might know the author Hazel Jane Plante from her work Little Blue Encyclopaedia (For Vivian) which I’ve often seen recommended for its unique premise of being told in an A-Z list of moments from the main characters late friend Vivan’s favourite show Little Blue. I rarely see any recommendations for Any Other City—so here is my case as to why you should pick it up!
Any Other City is a fictional memoir. It tells the story of Tracy St. Cyr, a singer in an indie band, and we get a glimpse at her life through two sides: Side A, which follows her as a teenager, and her first encounters with trans women, understanding that gender is not quite linear; and Side B, the “present,” where we see Tracy picking herself up after a bad relationship and isolating herself from her band.
Both sides have some fairly emotionally devastating moments. Teen Tracy has a girlfriend and is going through quiet revelations about herself. She meets an artist named Sadie Tang, and falls into the company of older trans women who teach her plenty of things about life—even if she is not quite ready to admit to herself yet that she is more like them than she thinks.
Adult Tracy is going through it; we see snippets of the toxic relationship she was in, as well as interactions with the members of her band, her current relationships, and life when you have fame. Because it is told like a memoir, Side B is heavy on reflection, and I think it’s something Hazel Jane Plante does so well in both Any Other City and Little Blue Encyclopaedia. Both are so introspective and focus on the relationships both main characters have with the core people in their life.
If you are interested in reading about queer lives and all that comes along with it—messy relationships, core friendships, emotional growth and songs—I hope that you pick this one up.
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