Thinking about Jackie Kay's Trumpet (1998)

For today's blog post, I am returning to a loved novel of mine... This is Jackie Kay's only novel Trumpet (1998). I recently got to thinking about the novel and how relevant it is to today. I also was reminded of how important things and more importantly people are. Taking the novel as an example, look at the lengths that people will go to for love. This love made a couple, fractured relationships with others and shattered what everyone thought they knew. There is one moment which stands out for me: it is when Joss and Millie, his wife both find their clothes swapped. It resents with me to this day because clothing is something with a rigidity in gender. Society has labelled a lot of clothes for either men or women. Look at shops; they have a 'men's section', a 'women's section' and a 'children's section'. But this does not mean that people have to stick in the section for them of course. Also, note how nothing has adapted for non-binary people. I once saw a top online that was gender-free. This for me was a joy to see because I do not see why clothing always need a gender. But society can often attribute that a dress is for a woman. I know it is not but some people will disagree with me, arguing only women should wear dresses.

What I moreover noticed with the novel and how it bares resemblence to today is the sheer quantity of transphobia. Someone working in the news being transphobic? That was back in the 1990s when the novel was set and written, yet it is still something that happens to this day. If I was working for a news company and asked to refer to a trans woman as a biological man then I would not want to stick around. Mind you, this is not a company I would want to work for in the first place.

Anyway, back to the novel... I think it is relevant today and is one of my favourite books. I reviewed it where I give the full lowdown on Jackie Kay's one and only novel so have a look at the review. I just got to thinking about it recently and as her only novel, it shines brightly.


Until next time,


Thomas.

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