Illyria / Elizabeth Hand

Originally published in 2007 in England as a very limited run, Illyria is a 2010 novella by Elizabeth Hand. It is narrated by Madeline Tierney as she looks back on her life, particularly her youth and the love she and her cousin had for each other. Hand's style here is rich and lyrical, almost poetic, and the novel is intense and atmospheric.

Plot
Madeline and Rogan are first cousins, but they share more than just identical-twin fathers: They are in love with each other. They are descended from a long line of theatrical stars, culminating in their great-grandmother, Madeline Armin Tierney, though their family has declined steadily since her fame. Thanks to their Aunt Kate, however, Madeline and Rogan get exposed to the theater and their family's past; thanks to their love for each other, they find magic. One year, their participation in a high school production of Twelfth Night changes their lives for good. Illyria follows their story, dwelling on the time immediately before and during that production, and speeding through the decades after it.

Relevance
There is nothing gay about this book, but there is a relationship that turns its members into social outcasts, and so GLBT folk may feel a connection to the characters in that way. The relationship between Rogan and Madeline is felt throughout the entirety of the book, even in those chapters when Madeline and Rogan are not together, and though its not the main concern of Illyria, the novel does address the repercussions felt by the youths because of their forbidden love.