Upright Women Wanted
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| Author | Sarah Gailey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Western fiction; Dystopian fiction |
| Set in | American Southwest |
| Publisher | Tor.com |
Publication date | February 4, 2020 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 176 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 1250213584 |
Upright Women Wanted is a 2020 Western LGBT novella by Sarah Gailey,[1] their third published novella.[2] In the novella, Esther escapes from an arranged marriage after her lover Beatriz is executed. She joins the Librarians, a group of women who distribute government propaganda to rural settlements, and finds that they are more than they seem. The work was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella and 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella.
After her lover Beatriz is executed for the possession of Unapproved Materials, Esther flees an arranged marriage and stows away in the wagon of a group of Librarians. The Librarians distribute Approved Materials to rural settlements, but Esther soon learns that her group of Librarians is a front for an anti-censorship resistance group. She learns that Bet and Leda, two of the Librarians, are a lesbian couple; Esther confronts her own internalized homophobia. The Librarians agree to transport three women to a sanctuary in Utah. They are attacked by a sheriff's posse, and Esther learns that one of the women, Amity, is wanted for murder.
Esther falls in love with Cye, a non-binary Librarian who must pretend to be female in order to survive in the State. Esther and Cye deliver Amity safely. Bet and Leda retire; Esther and Cye take their place.