The novel chronicles her nascent understanding

The novel chronicles her nascent understanding of differences she's sensed in herself for as long as she can remember – differences dubbed "queer" behind her back. However, what truly sealed its fate when it landed in the dock at Bow Street Magistrates Court mere months after publication is the case it dares to make for recognition and tolerance of Stephen's sexuality. Hear her plea at the novel's fevered end: "Rise up and defend us. Acknowledge us, oh God, before the whole world. Give us also the right to our existence!" Not only is this a novel that strives to humanise the experience of outcast lesbians, it also argues for equality.