The ideas about this book I feel like are really dated, especially with trans and non-binary being in the main stream. I understand how it could be ground breaking in 1969 when it was publish. However, the language in this book is VERY gendered despite the whole idea of being that the aliens do not have gender/sex. I understand that the main character Ai does not understand the culture so his use of the gendered language makes sense up until he becomes more excepting. But Ai never switches to a less gendered language. Singular they/them has been English canon for 500 years, there was nothing stopping Guin from using none gendered language.

The first half of the book does drag and honestly I thought about DNF-ing but I was doing a buddy read so I stuck with it. The story really hits the ground at about chapter 13 and I got fully invested. I really grew to love the two main characters and their relationship, which I feel like is the real story here.

I love these characters, I love their relationship. this book has some banger quotes like "A friend. What is a friend, in a world where any friend may be a lover at a new phase of the moon?” I have read another Guin book "The Dispossessed" and in comparison, while I think Dispossessed's ideas aged better, Left Hand has a better plot and characters. I think this book is work reading. Solid 3.5 stars I think, just maybe curb your expectations. If you are on the fence, I could also recommend BBC's radio adoptions of this book which is a lot more condensed but still very fun.