Scan barcode
swordjas's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I really wanted to like this book as I am a transmasc reader, and part of what drew me in to this story was the profile of the titular protagonist. We get Nathan's experiences and perspective growing into his body, but it also feels distanced and detached in that most of it focuses on displaying his traumas for the sake of trauma. Part of it also felt somewhat exploitive (as some previous reviews also mention), and the pacing of story seemed odd.
The narrative was also hard to follow at the points that the POV would switch to Nathan's family members (often abruptly).
The narrative was also hard to follow at the points that the POV would switch to Nathan's family members (often abruptly).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying, Medical trauma, and Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Islamophobia
krys_kilz's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
If I had realized that this book was not actually written/told by a trans person, I never would have picked it up.
You could tell it was an outsider perspective with the way it tried to cram Nathan's story in with his parents, brother, and friend's experiences of his transition. The entire story veered into trauma porn. There were so many triggering topics and the story just jumped from one traumatic incident to the next with no time to reflect. Nathan felt like a weird prop instead of a person, like the reader was just meant to consume his pain and never actually get to know him. As another reviewer put it, it was voyeuristic and violent.
Then we have the writing itself, which was sporadic, messy, and all over the place. The narrative jumped around so much I had a very hard time following. And a lot of the writing made no sense. I don't know if this was due to the translation or if it was really just that poorly written. And like what was the ending?!?! Or that Islamophobic side comment his mom made about at least Nathan didn't join the jihad?!?
And finally, the artwork. I thought the art style and coloring were beautiful, but a lot of the drawings felt exploitative. Like they were going for shock value instead of genuine emotional connection.
Overall, this book left a bad taste in my mouth and quite frankly, I wish I never read it.
To fellow trans folks, I would strongly encourage you to avoid this book. And to cis folks, please ask yourself why you enjoyed a cis person's narrative of transphobic violence instead of reading stories actually told by us.
You could tell it was an outsider perspective with the way it tried to cram Nathan's story in with his parents, brother, and friend's experiences of his transition. The entire story veered into trauma porn. There were so many triggering topics and the story just jumped from one traumatic incident to the next with no time to reflect. Nathan felt like a weird prop instead of a person, like the reader was just meant to consume his pain and never actually get to know him. As another reviewer put it, it was voyeuristic and violent.
Then we have the writing itself, which was sporadic, messy, and all over the place. The narrative jumped around so much I had a very hard time following. And a lot of the writing made no sense. I don't know if this was due to the translation or if it was really just that poorly written. And like what was the ending?!?! Or that Islamophobic side comment his mom made about at least Nathan didn't join the jihad?!?
And finally, the artwork. I thought the art style and coloring were beautiful, but a lot of the drawings felt exploitative. Like they were going for shock value instead of genuine emotional connection.
Overall, this book left a bad taste in my mouth and quite frankly, I wish I never read it.
To fellow trans folks, I would strongly encourage you to avoid this book. And to cis folks, please ask yourself why you enjoyed a cis person's narrative of transphobic violence instead of reading stories actually told by us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Dysphoria, and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Deadnaming
Minor: Islamophobia
More...