Looking at the relationship between sexuality and representation in lesbian novels Are Girls Necessary? is a provocative study of twentieth century writing. Writers discussed include Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein and Mary Renault.

Examining the development of lesbian writing in English across the twentieth century, Abraham identifies a shift from the "romance" model to a more complicated "history" model. The changes in lesbian writing, from the early romance plots through to the post-1960's liberation movement experiments, are Abraham's geography. Within it, she offers detailed readings of major writers in several genres, from high modern to pulp, both British and American. Writers discussed include Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Willa Cather and Mary Renault.