The Uncanny Case of Gilles/Jeannette

The period thriller novella, The Uncanny Case of Gilles/Jeannette, is a gender-swapped take on Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde. Set in Hudson, NY during the Great Depression, it follows the queer story of 20-year-old Jeannette, the daughter of a widower and failed inventor, and owner of The Diamond Inn. Upon being romantically rejected by her bisexual friend Dahlia, and traumatized by her father's sudden illness, Jeannette experiments in his basement laboratory with the purpose of...
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The period thriller novella, The Uncanny Case of Gilles/Jeannette, is a gender-swapped take on Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde. Set in Hudson, NY during the Great Depression, it follows the queer story of 20-year-old Jeannette, the daughter of a widower and failed inventor, and owner of The Diamond Inn. Upon being romantically rejected by her bisexual friend Dahlia, and traumatized by her father's sudden illness, Jeannette experiments in his basement laboratory with the purpose of transforming herself into a man. She unleashes Gilles, her male alter-ego, thinking he will successfully seduce Dahlia, but Gilles cannot be controlled, and has other plans, which include murder. The story is framed by the modern-day queer story of Ella and Simon, a Brooklyn couple who have recently bought the Inn and moved up to Hudson. Simon is a trans-man who began his long-term relationship with Ella as "Simone," and his coming out and transition has sparked conflict between them. Ella also has a dark ancestral tie to the Diamond Inn, which until now has been a secret to her. This gothic thriller reads as a page-turner while commenting on the complexity of gender, the anguish of homophobia, and the pandora's box hidden within each of our natures, all while weaving in a disturbing episode of Depression-era history involving one of America's most beloved talents.