The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This book had been on my “to read” shelf for over a year and somehow I remembered to bring it with me on a couple trips to Toronto this winter. I had no idea that the cold Winter planet would echo so perfectly the snowstorms that delayed me on both trips and the snowdrifts that I would walk through each night. And I didn’t expect the confrontation of human sexuality and gender to resonate so much with some more personal aspects of my life that coincided with this.

It’s a lovely story of friendship, of exploring a culture, while exploring a geography. I loved the Ekumen ideal of governing only through consent and contribution; that any force required is a failure.

I scribbled my own notes in the margins, but collected a couple highlights: one on obligation vs. affection and the other on the difference between knowing an answer and knowing the right question.

I recommend you read it on dark winter nights, with a partner nearby to reflect with.