Ryszard Merey's new novel, A Father for Lilja, offers a lyrical tale of gender identity and the complexities of family, both biological and chosen. At her summer home in Provence, Jain is infatuated with her cousin Viju, who returns the interest but distance soon separates the pair. As an adult, Jain finds love with Nine, a young man who bears a resemblance to Viju. But Nine has a lover, Emilio/Emilia, ambiguously gendered.
New.