Fictional book review: Trumpet (1998) by Jackie Kay.

 Hello again, sorry for being quiet here but I have not been doing good lately and have had to shut myself away. But fear not, I am back! I thought I would take you through some of my favourite books and whatnot regarding the LGBTQIA+ society. That includes LGBTQIA+ authors, themes such as lesbianism or queerness. I might also hunt down some LGBTQIA+ bookshops!

To kickstart this run of the LGBTQIA+ theme, I have delved deep into my bookshelves to fetch out a novel of pure grief, greed and truth. For the first review of mine, I have picked Jackie Kay's melodic novel Trumpet. The reason I picked this novel is because this is different to most in the fact that Joss Moody, who the whole novel is about, is dead. Kay has written the book as if Joss is the protagonist even though he is dead. But that's just it... He is dead and we don't hear from/see his ghost. From Joss's wife, to his doctor, to even the vile reporter Sophie Stones, they all speak about him, relive what happened. Yet he is not there. This is what drew me in when I first came across it.

The novel is an interesting one because the characters are all reliving how Joss was and reeling from the news that Joss was never biologically a man. Joss was born as woman and only his wife knew. They had a son Coleman, although he was adopted. They even wanted to figure out the excuse for having child who was adopted, Joss saying ‘We'd say you've had a hysterectomy’.¹ I should point out that this novel was not set in recent times, but rather set across the 20th century from 1927 - 1997; when Joss and Millie (his wife) wanted a child, it was during the time when being Gay was unacceptable. Being transgender or lesbian was also not seen as acceptable. Millie's mother didn't help because she seemed a bit 'traditional'. I got to witness that as I read Millie recalling her past memories with the man she loved.

I enjoyed having the contrast between the past (‘Now we are at the back of the bus frantically swapping shoes’²) and the present (‘I go downstairs and put on 'Millie's song'.’³) This for me was crucial because as a reader one could better understand the man that Joss was. It gave moments that would reveal what sort of a father, husband and musician he was. His bandmate Big Red might say ‘The guy's a genius’⁴ for instance, but sometimes there is more to that. What did he do that made him a genius? Well... as I read the novel, I found out the sort of musical genius that he was.

But it was not just Joss's character who I liked. All the characters had interesting traits to them and they created this eventful yet interesting novel. Admittingly I was not a fan of the transphobic Sophie Stones. But then I guess that was a good thing because in my opinion, that is what Jackie Kay wanted to achieve with the character of the reporter Sophie Stones: having her disliked by readers. I will be honest though, I did it a bit uncomfortable reading Coleman leering over her in a sexual, fantasising way as he clearly thinks she attractive. To him, she's good looking and can provide satisfaction I guess. She just wants to get her awful story out based on how Joss Moody was really a woman. I notice the way Coleman plays her as if when he also plays, rebels even against both his parents because he's doing it out of spite for the lies they told, not even letting him know. It's clear he can behave as an utter jerk. It begs the question of what is masculinity? Is Kay trying to establish it as a good thing or not? Look at Joss then look at his son. There is Sophie Stones making out how Joss was a fake man and just a woman. But for me it is Coleman who really puts things into perspective. It could be argued that this is just grief but still, I think there is a demonstration of toxic masculinity within him.

Overall, this novel has an everchanging cycle of viewpoints and epochs of which help create this idea of the legendary transgender and black Scottish Jazz trumpet player Joss Moody. It gives the reader deep cutting honesty and a real insight into the struggles a transgender person and a black person has suffered. Even mentions of other topicals concerns such as the AIDs pandemic of the 1980s appear in the novel. For me, this is a novel that I enjoyed thoroughly. I would strongly recommend this to anyone, regardless. Certainly an 8/10. I can even picture the breakfast at that kitchen table...

Thomas AJ.

Footnotes:

¹ Jackie Kay, Trumpet (London: Picador, 1998), 40.

² Kay, Trumpet, 96.

³ Kay, Trumpet, 34.

⁴ Kay, Trumpet, 148.

Bibliography:

Kay, Jackie. Trumpet. London: Picador, 1998.