Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

57 reviews

larabrewer's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Some of the writing is a bit much in my opinion, so I ultimately didn’t love the style and I found the characters too difficult to connect with/like to ultimately get into it fully. But it was interesting and I took away a lot and appreciated the different perspectives and lives this book placed me in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Mental illness

avadore's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A queer romp with plenty of big questions and no interest in giving us answers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Transphobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

balfies's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I devoured this in a day. It's not just as good as you've heard, it's better.

Brilliant, sensitive, funny, full of character, and able to divine the complex relationships between sex, sexuality, womanhood, trans identity, parenthood, and change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Abortion, Deadnaming, and Blood

Minor: Eating disorder

laudateluna's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Detransition Baby is a novel that equally feels made for me and not for me. It's a fantastic one, if you have any interest in exploration of gender or more specifically of femininity/womanhood; read it! It deserves to be thought about.

Please do not read the spoiler section until you have come to an understanding of what the book was talking about. In specific how it ended. This is not a "spoiler" of its content, its a mindset that could change how you experience the novel.

It was an enlightening journey that died for me with its concept. I was expecting the book to be more than it set out for, to go beyond what it was in text, however for me it was made impossible by its ending. Its not a "bad" ending, its just direct in telling you what it was about. That might work for you. For me it stopped my process of exploration of what it means to me. Because finding what I identified with was made so much harder by its purpous. I dont like when stories are literal. There is a genuine debate to be had of metaphorical effectiveness towards most people, but like I said before not for me. Maybe it is necessary and my experience is too novel. 

This book is perfect. I truly mean that. It's pacing is great so are its characters, dialogue, jokes, ideas, prose. I loved every page. Torrey Peters wrote one of the most compelling debut novels I have ever had the priviledge to read. (I also highly reccomend her novellas) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Outing, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia

kmcdonell's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wonderfully written, searingly honest and eye opening in parts, and funny and tender in other parts, an amazing achievement. I loved the characters, and the depth and relatability of all of them. I learned a lot about experiences of others that I will never experience. Overall I loved every minute of it. But ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THAT ENDING?!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was pretty phenomenal. I thought it was complex and engrossing--a really interesting read. There were a bits that felt just a little clunky: some awkward dialogue, some parts were a little didactic, etc. But I think that all is as expected for a first novel. I look forward to reading more of Peters's work!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Outing, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion

kleinearmee's review

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

taleofabibliophile's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Transphobia, Infidelity, Cursing, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Medical content, Miscarriage, Racism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Car accident, Murder, and Hate crime

Minor: Deadnaming, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Death, and Suicide attempt

rookfeathers's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I definitely expected something else from this book, but I wouldn't say I'm disappointed. It follows a style of storytelling that I'd definitely tie to ADHD whether the author has it herself or not, with more exposition and backstory about characters than plot progression. It's very insightful and the characters truly feel like real people from very different backgrounds, and over their plentiful flaws they will still have you continue reading for every piece of information. 

I think my only qualm with the book is that in a few spots it becomes less of a real-world fictional story and more of a field for the author to convey her ideas and familiar experiences through the character's heads and mouths, presented as if they were unilaterally agreed upon and universally experienced instead of subjective narration by the characters. Most of the time, though, they represent a variety of thought expected for the group of people with their differences. It kind of confuses me why at times you can see brilliant invention as well as strong convictions presented without judgment, and sometimes it feels like the book is directly trying to teach you things. But there's a possibility I'm wrong with my read and it's really just the nuances of tying this made-up story into the real world believably enough.

I was particularly touched by how I felt the book represented borderline - those perfect little moments and nice relationships like spells broken by a single sentence or a single gesture really hit hard if you yourself have a personality disorder or two. Also, the ending.... Oof.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual content, Violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Self harm

Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, and Mental illness

carolined's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Transphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy