A review by abbie_
Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I’ve been a bit stingy with my five stars this year - or actually, I just think I haven’t been reading much deserving of five stars! I scoured my Scribd list for something I’d been looking forward to (I still have an annoying habit of ‘saving’ books for an unspecified time) and landed on Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian). My prediction skills were clearly on top form that day because I loved every second of this odd, moving little book. I wish it had been 200 pages longer. It’s framed as a journal/memoir but is very much fictional, a trans woman mourning the loss of her best friend and unrequited crush, another trans woman - Vivian. Unsure how to sort through her tumultuous feelings and grief, Zelda settles on writing an encyclopaedia of their favourite obscure show, Little Blue (also fictional and bizarre in its concept). I’ve got no idea where Plante came up with this idea, but it’s legit perfect for the story. It just works. Amongst the backgrounds and lives of fictional (fictional) characters, we get anecdotes and memories of Vivian, beautiful and joyous and flawed and loving and so robustly alive - despite being dead before the novel begins. Just a gorgeous ode to trans sisterhood, friendship and grief. Loved every page.