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Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Outing, Dysphoria
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Outing, Dysphoria
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deadnaming, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Abortion
Graphic: Suicide, Transphobia, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Abortion
Reese is a trans woman with an unfortunate obsession with married men and a deep desire to be a mother. Ames is amab and has detransitioned from living as a trans woman. Katrina is a divorced 30-something cis woman who is Ames's boss. When Ames gets Katrina pregnant and suggests they ask Reese to co-parent with them, the three reflect on their lives, experiences and perspectives.
The rawness and unrestrained authenticity of the voices in this book really took me back. Starting the book with the sex life experiences of trans women was a wild decision for Peters but it paid off! My asexuality made me eeek for a lot of the initial chapters, but I think the author gets you in this uncomfortable and vulnerable position early on, to contextualise the character's choices and get you in a deeply entrenched position, for the dialogues to come.
While I related to a lot of things in many of the characters later in the novel, this juxtaposition of my sexuality and Reese's made it hard for me to endear to her early on. This, coupled with all the awful decisions she tends to make haha. But by the end, I found myself feeling really deeply for her, as well as for Ames and Katrina.
Peters discusses at the end of the book, on her choice to include these parts of trans life and history that are often not discussed with cis people. To include dialogues from white trans women, but contrast this with the differences in trans women of colour. I feel like I learned a lot from reading this book, despite my tenuous relationship with it. I also really loved her choice to create a tri-perspective from three different types of people. Three different types of women...
Additionally, I liked the themes of motherhood and queer life/ social structures that were explored throughout the novel. The nature of morality and the links to circumstance were also very interesting. I actually related to some of Ames's experiences in the book, but not in the way one would link. The dissociation and depersonalisation of the body reminds me of mechanisms I used to use a lot (and still do to some extract) in regards to my asexuality. It was interesting to ponder upon this in both contexts.
All in all, this is a great literary read if you're in the mood to get uncomfy and do a lot of learning as well as queer introspection.
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion
Minor: Pregnancy, Outing
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Outing, Alcohol
Moderate: Deadnaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Abortion, Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Blood
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Transphobia, Outing
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Dysphoria
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide, Abortion
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Abortion
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Outing
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Abortion
Minor: Confinement, Car accident