What if you could alternate between being a male version of yourself and a female version of yourself? That's what happens on a regular basis in the one village of Tober Cove, 25th Century Earth. Each year, a ceremony ushers in the change as all the children and young adults switch gender, up until the age of 21, Commitment Day, choosing day. After that, your gender is fixed.
You'd think men and women would get along better as a result of having worn both sets of chromosomes, but the protagonists still manage to make themselves and each other miserable. Both 20 years old, on the verge of Commitment Eve, Fullin and Cappie have born children together, each taking a turn as mother, each taking a turn as father, and each of them has a promising offer for their future careers, but their relationship has so much under the surface that something is bound to explode.
You'd also thing that gender and sexual orientation would be a non-issue for the people of Tober Cove, but again, humans have a genius for making themselves and each other miserable, so there are still outcasts, pariahs. The 'neuts', the rare individuals who opt for androgyny, are treated with loathing and contempt by most of the villagers.
This is an amazing, extraordinary exploration of how gender affects identity and how hard it is to make choices when not all choices are acceptable in your community. Not always easy to read, but for anyone interested in such issues, a real mind's eye opener. Strongly recommended.
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