The Revenant

The Book

Michael Punke's story is based on true historical events but includes a mix of real and imaginary characters and embellishes the facts.
Hugh Glass was a fur trapper in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, exploring and exploiting the wild frontiers in the early 19thC. He is savagely attacked by a bear defending its young, and the fur raiding party he is with decide to leave him behind as he is slowing them down. The party leave two of their number (young lad Bridger and wanted man Fitzgerald) to look after him but Fitzgerald persuades Bridger that Glass should be left to die and they commandeer his rifle and knife, thus leaving him nothing for protection or for hunting food.

Against the odds, Glass crawls his way to the river and gradually to help, with the thought of revenge keeping him going.

The Danish Girl

The Book

David Ebershoff's book is a work of fiction inspired by the lives of painters Gerda Gottlieb and her husband Einar Wegener, who became the first person to undergo gender affirmation surgery to become a woman in 1930. All the other characters and story are conjecture or made up by the author, which is important to bear in mind.

Greta and Einar live together in the creative quarter of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he is a slightly more successful painter of landscapes  than she with portraits. One day, however, when her female subject is unable to sit for her, she persuades Einar to put on stockings and a dress in order to finish the painting. This sparks an awakening in him and Lili is born.

Lili poses for Greta's portraits and she begins to go out to balls and the opera accompanied by an understanding wife. As the portraits become more successful, Greta encourages Einar to become Lili despite his reluctance - perhaps as he can see what blinds Greta.
 As Lili becomes more established, she explores new relationships that causes Greta to worry about losing her husband and resent Lili.