A few examples of modern 'best-sellers' that rely mainly on discussions of identity in place of any original talking points:
This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel
>What happens when your little boy wants to be a girl? This is a warm family story about two parents, five children and how their “secret” becomes something totally normal and accepted. Some parts of the book are more exciting than others – such as when the family fights off bigotry or when the mum is dealing with a belligerent colleague.
How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
>It's a good time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven't been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain... Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should we use Botox? Do men secretly hate us? And why does everyone ask you when you're going to have a baby?
Supernova by Dewi Lestari
>Supernova: The Knight, The Princess and the Falling Star presents a series of intertwined and unconventional love stories, straight and gay, with a bit of science and spirituality added to the mix. The major characters are young, urban, and technologically highly aware. They are caught up in major forms of contemporary social conflict.
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
>A Yale Law School graduate looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
>Finally shines a spotlight on the role of female ‘computers’ during the space race and, most importantly, drew attention to a trio of extraordinary women without whom history might have looked very different
I must make it very clear that I am in no way knocking the artistic integrity of any of these books - as I know that I'm in position to critique their actual content, writing style or any other aspect. I am simply arguing that all of these books, and many others like them, focus entirely on the nature of identity and assigning a label to oneself. There is no sense of wonder or trepidation to any of these books. They simply exist to emphasis the differences between us, and there is nothing interesting in this. I can understand the author's desire to teach about what it is like to be a member of a certain group - however it is terribly boring to have to read so many novels that engage purely with this desire to ascribe labels and nothing much more beyond that.