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ez_heath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Abortion, Medical trauma, Outing, Rape, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
tome's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Car accident, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Outing, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Violence, Drug use, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
lovegriefandgender's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical trauma, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Outing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
karol99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Infertility, Miscarriage, Outing, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Transphobia
karolinaz's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
laudateluna's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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)
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
sydneyj's review
Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Hate crime
Moderate: Deadnaming, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Abortion, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Infertility, Drug use, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Grief, and Medical trauma
suzyreadsbooks's review
- 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
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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.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, and Suicide