Terry Dactyl by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's transcendental novel explores the twin crises of AIDS and COVID-19 as lenses through which to explore the queer experience
Terry Dactyl by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore is a deeply intimate and transcendent novel. Sycamore chronicles two significant chapters in Terry’s life while growing up against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and later surviving the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terry’s journey highlights how history repeats itself and what we stand to lose if we don’t pay attention to patterns of oppression and societal neglect. As Terry navigates these two crises which will have deep ramifications for her community, she experiences a political awakening all while delving into the hedonistic and colourful world of artsy gender-bending club kids of New York.
Sycamore’s protagonist is a funny, fearless, yet imperfect character. Terry at times is incredibly judgemental and myopic which makes for a refreshing portrayal of queer loss and community building. Terry, a trans woman raised by politically progressive lesbian mothers who recently have grown more centrist, is left to make sense of a frequently changeable world. As forest fires surround her hometown of Seattle and racial tension erupts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Terry learns to embody care and solidarity in truly moving ways. In her spirited dancing, while leading chants at demonstrations, and running over the grassy fields of her youth, we see Terry truly come alive. Through rich lyrical prose, Terry Dactyl serves as an urgent reminder of what it means to overcome and survive in times of immense turmoil.