investigate Joss's birthplace. Trumpet is written with an intricate narration, incorporating many characters' points of view. The narration varies by chapter. Most of the story is told from the first-person perspective of Joss's wife Millie, his son Colman, and the journalist Sophie Stones. The narration often takes the form of the inner thoughts of these three characters, including visitations of their memories. Some chapters are Colman responding to Sophie Stones' interview. In addition, chapters told from a third-person omniscient narrator contribute to the story, each focusing on a different minor character, such as the funeral director or Joss's drummer. Jackie Kay's choice to narrate Joss Moody's life through the voice of the people who he encountered/loved/played music with in life and death captures the function and consequences of trans necropolitics. Characters The central character is Joss Moody, a famous Black jazz musician. The novel begins in the wake of his death. Assigned female at birth and named Josephine Moore, Joss is transgender. He becomes a famous trumpet player and devotes his life to his passion of music. Joss is portrayed as a passionate lover, strict father, energetic friend, and dedicated artist. Millie Moody, a white woman, is married to Joss. As a young adult, she falls in love with Joss, and her passion is strong enough to overcome the truth about his birth-assigned gender. After his death, Millie is devastated. Although she outwardly handles herself with grace and composure, Millie's heart is broken. Millie is a loving, sympathetic character living out the cycles of grief under an unwanted spotlight. Colman Moody is the adopted son of Millie and Joss. He is of mixed race. As a child, Colman was often difficult and misbehaved. Upon his father's death, Colman, aged 30, discovers that his father was assigned female at birth, and experiences a range of emotions including confusion, anger, embarrassment, and grief, which drives him to cooperate with a journalist, Sophie Stones, in her attempt to write Joss Moody's story. Edith Moore is Joss Moody's mother. She enters the novel only at the end. She is seen as she grows old in a retirement home, without knowing that Joss had been living as a male. Sophie Stones is a journalist who seeks to write a novel about the revelation of Joss Moody's identity, seeing it as a lucrative opportunity for her career. She expresses more overtly prejudiced and transphobic views regarding