Since 2005, Canongate books have been working to retell a myriad of ancient myths in a series of short novels penned by contemporary authors. Ali Smith had the pleasure of retelling the myth of Iphis. For those unfamiliar with the tale, a brief synopsis: a couple is having a baby, dad says if it’s a girl we’ll have to kill it, mom prays to have a boy, the gods say “no worries, it’ll all work out.” Mom has baby girl, names her Iphis, raises her as a boy and no one is any the wiser. Iphis eventually falls in love with girl named Ianthe, and they plan to get married. Iphis and mom pray to the gods for help, they turn her into a boy and they all live happily ever after.

Smith’s version alternates between sisters Anthea and Imogen, as one tries to find happiness in her own way while the other tries to please everyone with her Stella McCartney tracksuits and fashionable bulimia. This is a clever satire of heterocentric norms written in simple, beautiful prose. One can’t help but laugh and cringe as Imogen debates whether her sister is in fact “a gay.” After all, she liked Sporty Spice, listened to George Michael and has always been just plain weird. Imogen’s insular view of sexuality is almost childishly laughable, making her homophobia less offensive. Meanwhile, the male counterparts come across as vulgar caricatures of misogyny for whom “slag” is a term of endearment, and if a woman doesn’t wear makeup, she is most definitely a lesbian. These men are an important foil to the exceptionally progressive women, but a bit over-the-top. Smith’s shortcoming is that unless the men display traditionally feminine traits, they are raging assholes parading their raging hard-ons.

Smith pokes fun at the importance people place on masculinity and femininity. When the town is plastered with a feminist manifesto (that is credited to “the message boys”), passersby writhe in discomfort. When Anthea first spies her love interest, she describes her as “the most beautiful boy.” Smith allows the characters to float between he and she, playing with the fluidity of gender. It is at times deeply introspective, funny and political, without being sanctimonious, succeeding as a visceral and touching love story, whose theme focuses on the potential of change.