
At the Freak Show
Candas Jane Dorsey(Author)
University of Calgary Press
Will be published approx. on 15. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
258 pages
978-1-77385-702-2 (ISBN)
Description
Asa has spent their whole life seeing another face in the mirror, the face of their conjoint twin who died during a catastrophic attempt to separate them at age three. The lone survivor, Asa has lived their life in between. Assigned a gender for surgical convenience, Asa has at time identified as male, at other times, female. But through music, Asa finds acceptance of their true, non-binary, gender-fluid self.
Asa is unashamed and unafraid, but life outside the binary is not easy. As Asa becomes a famous musician, they must face the people who find their existence a threat. Life as a lone twin is also not easy. Asa knows themself, but must always wonder what could have been. Throughout their journey, Asa experiences visions of alternate universes, some that include the survival of their conjoined twin Angelo, who Asa calls mirror boy.
A stunningly original work that breaks new literary ground, At the Freak Show smashes together speculative fiction, coming of age, social justice fiction, rock biography, and literary mastery to create a timeless, human story about the search for belonging and self-acceptance.
Asa is unashamed and unafraid, but life outside the binary is not easy. As Asa becomes a famous musician, they must face the people who find their existence a threat. Life as a lone twin is also not easy. Asa knows themself, but must always wonder what could have been. Throughout their journey, Asa experiences visions of alternate universes, some that include the survival of their conjoined twin Angelo, who Asa calls mirror boy.
A stunningly original work that breaks new literary ground, At the Freak Show smashes together speculative fiction, coming of age, social justice fiction, rock biography, and literary mastery to create a timeless, human story about the search for belonging and self-acceptance.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Calgary
Canada
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-77385-702-2 (9781773857022)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Candas Jane Dorsey is the award-winning, LGBTQ2 author of seven novels, four short story collections, and four books of poetry.