Ali Smith’s latest work radiates a sweet passion that is at once surprising and highly attractive. Refiguring the myth of Iphis and Ianthe from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Smith ponders the way our gender identities are created by others and by ourselves.

At the heart of this slim volume (and I do literally mean its heart, such is her presence) is Anthea, a charming misfit who has been looked after by her older sister, Imogen, since her mother left and her grandparents disappeared (on a whimsical boating trip). Imogen struggles to make Anthea conform to the rules of life as she sees them but Anthea is destined to meet, and fall in love with, Robin, the boy/girl who captures her heart.

The idea of gender identity as constructed, pliable and often restrictive runs through the book and is explored through other characters like the grandfather who tells stories about when he was a little girl and the anecdote about the girls’ father who is laughed at by the neighbours when he is hanging out the washing because it is woman’s work. This is a gorgeous story, full of hope and love, and Smith’s controlled yet cheeky tone is hard to resist.

Kabita Dhara is from Readings Carlton