The Letter A
A novel by Chyx Xyng
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the breakage with gold, silver, or platinum lacquer. As a philosophy, Kintsugi treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, embracing its flaws and imperfections. It's a reminder that we can be broken, and we can be put back together in a way that is beautiful and different from before.
Just as the shattered pieces of broken pottery are brought back together to form something beautiful, The Letter A, interweaves seven shattered stories into a poignant tale about gender dysphoria, forbidden love, and acceptance as told by three generations of gender nonconformists.
PART 1
A Simple Letter
"A" is for abomination. "A" is for appalling. "A" is for Alan. Alan is my name. I am not Alan… Walter named his son Alan, a name that meant sturdy, handsome, and noble. When Alan puts on a bra for the first time, everything feels right. But Walter is so worried that the world will crush Alan that he hurts the person he loves most. Amidst their shattered lives, Walter realizes that he has a daughter, and her name is Alana.
PART 2
Ayutthaya
To Signal-Crossed Samantha, fear is red and smells like the wisps of an extinguished matchstick. Awe is blue and carries the scent of salt on sun-kissed skin. Romantic love is purple and has the fragrance of an old bookstore...
​Alana was Samantha's friend and she was the bluest sapphire. Samantha knew Alana had feelings for her; she was afraid Alana would express those feelings. Because while blue and red make purple, awe and fear do not equate love.
PART 3
Another Chance
Our Father, who art in heaven; Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; On earth as it is in heaven – Ron put the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger… Ron was fucked-up, which meant he was perfect for Rachel. After Ron killed himself, an unexpected cry for help from her sister pulled Rachel back from the depths of depression. Rachel rebuilds her life and fulfills a dream she once shared with Ron.
PART 4
A shattered clay figurine
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Alan was Fatima's childhood crush. When Alan became Alana, Fatima felt betrayed, until she realized that Alana was still the same person with whom she fell in love. But her love was unrequited. In her later years, Fatima would find her life intertwined with a baby who was rescued by Alana's mother and the person who caused the death of Alana's father.
PART 5
Another Life
The question is not whether how long I can live, but whether I have lived enough. Mildred was a scientist with auditory schizophrenia. As the woman who rewrote the code of creation when she created an enhanced telomerase, Mildred led a long secretive life. Growing up in the Great Depression, falling in love with a woman during the civil rights era, rescuing a baby during the fall of Saigon who would later change the lives of Rachel and Fatima, saving Alana's life and later adopting Alana... Mildred learns what it means to have lived enough.
PART 6
A single step
Frederick was dubbed the Brave Patriot by his neo-Nazi friends. After Frederick caused the death of Alana's father, Frederick realizes what being a Brave Patriot meant - the courage to stand up for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
PART 7
A is for Love
Anya and Davika are Alana's and Samantha's daughters. Anya is born nine hundred and sixty seconds before Davika, which makes Anya the strong one, the one who is supposed to protect her little sister. When Davika drowned, Anya embarked on a journey to find their true self and self-forgiveness.