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alylentz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
2023 reread: I liked this better the second time around (though to be fair, I liked it a lot already)! I also found the audio to be a better format for this story for me personally.
I really enjoyed these characters and felt myself wanting to know what happens to them. There were a couple issues that kept me from tearing through this the way I wanted to. Sometimes the sentences felt really cluttered and became a sort of word salad; I don't know if this is a stylistic, intellectual choice or if it was just overwritten in places. The second is that the pacing felt very stop-start to me and just when I was getting into a groove, the narrative would shift. But overall I found this really interesting and will definitely pick up whatever Torrey Peters publishes next.
I really enjoyed these characters and felt myself wanting to know what happens to them. There were a couple issues that kept me from tearing through this the way I wanted to. Sometimes the sentences felt really cluttered and became a sort of word salad; I don't know if this is a stylistic, intellectual choice or if it was just overwritten in places. The second is that the pacing felt very stop-start to me and just when I was getting into a groove, the narrative would shift. But overall I found this really interesting and will definitely pick up whatever Torrey Peters publishes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
eemilycolleen's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
just, wow. at the risk of overemphasis, I really am astounded by the depth AND breadth explored here — of queerness, of trans identity and embodiment, of womanhood, of motherhood. there’s just so much here: family and desire and biting social commentary and all of it thrumming vibrant underneath the familiar strictures of litfic, like, the platonic ideal of “not your mother’s comedy of manners” (though my mother did read it lmao). it’s MESSY and razor-sharp and so tender, and just a fucking delight to read. also I am so taken with the comma in the title. and the ending. honestly just What a home run, all around.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, and Suicide attempt
kharlan3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
whatjaimereads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Detransition, Baby follows the story of two and a half women, their joint foray into the world of queer parenting, and what it means to be yourself when that self is an interloper to society.
The discussions within this book around gender, fetishisation, and parenthood are handled fluidly, and sensitively, and are unique to any other queer fiction that I’ve read. Peters has written deeply realistic, multi-faceted characters that each offer their own insight into the struggles faced by marginalised communities. This novel is driven by its characters and discussions of their flaws, and it visibly benefits from the author’s Own Voice perspective as a queer woman.
However, this insight comes with the weight of knowledge that the reflections in Detransition, Baby are true-to-life. There is a huge amount of graphic, sensitive content, and some of the storytelling can become over-indulgent within these areas. Our cast of characters are all suffering from deep trauma in their past/present, which makes for some really heavy reading. By about chapter 9 I was completely emotionally exhausted, so I urge you to proceed with caution.
This is not the book that I was expecting from its synopsis, but it probes some really important topics, and for that reason it is undeniably an important read.
*ARC gifted by Serpents Tail in exchange for an honest review*
The discussions within this book around gender, fetishisation, and parenthood are handled fluidly, and sensitively, and are unique to any other queer fiction that I’ve read. Peters has written deeply realistic, multi-faceted characters that each offer their own insight into the struggles faced by marginalised communities. This novel is driven by its characters and discussions of their flaws, and it visibly benefits from the author’s Own Voice perspective as a queer woman.
However, this insight comes with the weight of knowledge that the reflections in Detransition, Baby are true-to-life. There is a huge amount of graphic, sensitive content, and some of the storytelling can become over-indulgent within these areas. Our cast of characters are all suffering from deep trauma in their past/present, which makes for some really heavy reading. By about chapter 9 I was completely emotionally exhausted, so I urge you to proceed with caution.
This is not the book that I was expecting from its synopsis, but it probes some really important topics, and for that reason it is undeniably an important read.
*ARC gifted by Serpents Tail in exchange for an honest review*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, and Grief
suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review to come. This was so so so well done.
-
Forgot to ever put my review on here. :)
Thanks to One World & NetGalley for the e-copy!
I’d highly recommend for anyone looking for literary fiction with complex, nuanced discussions about gender identity, motherhood, sexuality, & white trans women!! It was everything I was hoping for and more.
Major TWs for: infertility, miscarriage, transphobia, suicide, domestic violence, misogyny, homophobia
Full review:
I can’t stop thinking about this smart, funny, emotional book. Some other descriptors: Tender! Nuanced! Sad! Hard! Intimate! Biting! Ow!
Reese, a white trans woman, her white detransitioned ex Ames, & his Chinese Jewish cis divorced boss Katrina attempt to build a family. Taking place during Katrina’s pregnancy & in flashbacks, I was always intrigued to find out where the book would go next. The book was driven by the compelling unfurling of Reese & Ames’ pasts.
These are messy, imperfect, exasperating characters. They’re also lovable people trying to understand what they want in the world. Some fav topics covered: Clashing ideas of womanhood & femininity. Masking hard feelings w intellectualism. The roles sex & kink can play in exploring gender identity.
Peters uses social comedy to slowly reveal the complexity of being a trans woman in the US, distinct from the tidy media narrative where transitioning magically fixes everything. DB fully turns gender on its head and reveals the difficulties AND joys of being trans.
There is full acknowledgment that these are singular experiences of two white trans women.
Peters: “It's important to talk about the fact that what I know, and what I'm writing about, is largely white trans women, and a culture that's largely inhabited by white people. (...) That actually provides me, as an artist, with freedom, because I can say bitchy things. And I feel comfortable being bitchy about things that happened inside of my own culture. (...) I need to make those demarcations. Not just because it's, politically, the right thing to do, it's important for the quality of the art, to be specific and to be incisive as to what's happening.”
I feel hopeful that readers will leave this story knowing they also have to pick up books by trans WOC, trans SWs, etc. Let’s hope the Big Five catch up.
Highly recommend going down the rabbit hole of Peters’ interviews. Some gems: DB serving as a “test case” for her future; cis people engaging in “gender play;” how trans people, not TERFs, own the concept of detransitioning.
-
Forgot to ever put my review on here. :)
Thanks to One World & NetGalley for the e-copy!
I’d highly recommend for anyone looking for literary fiction with complex, nuanced discussions about gender identity, motherhood, sexuality, & white trans women!! It was everything I was hoping for and more.
Major TWs for: infertility, miscarriage, transphobia, suicide, domestic violence, misogyny, homophobia
Full review:
I can’t stop thinking about this smart, funny, emotional book. Some other descriptors: Tender! Nuanced! Sad! Hard! Intimate! Biting! Ow!
Reese, a white trans woman, her white detransitioned ex Ames, & his Chinese Jewish cis divorced boss Katrina attempt to build a family. Taking place during Katrina’s pregnancy & in flashbacks, I was always intrigued to find out where the book would go next. The book was driven by the compelling unfurling of Reese & Ames’ pasts.
These are messy, imperfect, exasperating characters. They’re also lovable people trying to understand what they want in the world. Some fav topics covered: Clashing ideas of womanhood & femininity. Masking hard feelings w intellectualism. The roles sex & kink can play in exploring gender identity.
Peters uses social comedy to slowly reveal the complexity of being a trans woman in the US, distinct from the tidy media narrative where transitioning magically fixes everything. DB fully turns gender on its head and reveals the difficulties AND joys of being trans.
There is full acknowledgment that these are singular experiences of two white trans women.
Peters: “It's important to talk about the fact that what I know, and what I'm writing about, is largely white trans women, and a culture that's largely inhabited by white people. (...) That actually provides me, as an artist, with freedom, because I can say bitchy things. And I feel comfortable being bitchy about things that happened inside of my own culture. (...) I need to make those demarcations. Not just because it's, politically, the right thing to do, it's important for the quality of the art, to be specific and to be incisive as to what's happening.”
I feel hopeful that readers will leave this story knowing they also have to pick up books by trans WOC, trans SWs, etc. Let’s hope the Big Five catch up.
Highly recommend going down the rabbit hole of Peters’ interviews. Some gems: DB serving as a “test case” for her future; cis people engaging in “gender play;” how trans people, not TERFs, own the concept of detransitioning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to One World Books for the free advance copy of this book.
✨MINI REVIEW✨ [ @oneworldbooks #partner ]
✨MINI REVIEW✨ [ @oneworldbooks #partner ]
Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. But then her girlfriend detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby, Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family? (via Goodreads) 📚
•
📚 This book is messy, beautiful and thoughtful. It's a deep exploration of the thousands of tiny things that add up to make gender, and what happens when your understanding of those building blocks shifts.
📚 It really showcases how fluid gender and sexuality are and the joy that can bring, but doesn't shy away from exactly how mentally and physically hard it can be to exist publicly as a trans person.
📚 I honestly can't think of one aspect of the idea of womanhood or the margins of queerness this book doesn't touch on - it has so much packed in and yet it remains compellingly readable.
📚 Also, it covers all this heavy, complicated stuff and is still very funny!
•
📚 I am almost certain DETRANSITION, BABY will be polarizing. On the surface, before reading it, it seems to be endorsing the idea of detransitioning and that transness is a choice - much like the idea of being an ex-gay. Keep in mind that I am a cis person, but I don't think it's doing that at all. The central tension of Ames' story is that he detransitioned but can never not be trans, even if it doesn't show outwardly. Please read it if you're in a place to do so - it's a wonderfully nuanced portrait of the complexity of trans life.
•
Content warnings: biphobia, body shaming, child abuse, deadnaming, death, domestic abuse, drug use, emotional abuse, grief, hate crime, homophobia, infertility, infidelity, miscarriage , misogyny, physical abuse, self harm, sexism, sexual content, sexual violence, suicidal thoughts, suicide, toxic relationship, transphobia, and violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Grief