Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

169 reviews

cnc's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Transphobia

Moderate: Miscarriage

mackreads324's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense 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

4.25

Detransition, Baby explores womanhood, motherhood, gender identity, relationships, and the uncommonly addressed, detransitioning. Peters introduces us to three main characters: a trans woman with a deep desire for motherhood, a de-transitioned man struggling with the idea of impending fatherhood and his own gender identity, and a divorced pregnant cis biracial woman juggling a decision on motherhood and family. 

I have to admit that this is the first book I have read where trans individuals stand in the spotlight, not just a character in the periphery. That fact put my own heteronormativity on display to myself, and make me realize I need to expose myself to more media written by and shown from the lens of trans people. This book is tense, raw, and messy. I felt like by the end of it I had an open wound. 

I went through the book cycling between hating and loving the characters, and to me, that’s often a sign that it’s a good book. Flawed characters with traumatic pasts, hurting others, tackling life decisions, facing their personal desires and identity. The book didn’t seek to make martyrs or heroes out of the characters, but let them live their chaotic, messy lives while happening to be trans. You don’t really get the “closure” you think you want at the end, but instead just characters continuing to make it through live the best they can. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Transphobia

Moderate: Deadnaming and Abortion

alid73's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry

janellejx's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’d say this book was hard to read, but in a good way. Just like Sally Rooney’s books or Luster by Raven Leilani. I also generally struggle with books focused on self-destructive protagonists that are hard to root for. But that being said, it is their messiness and imperfections that make them so realistic. Which is a plus. Peters has written her characters in a way that has you feeling everything they do. I may change my rating after I have more time to process, but I generally found it a little too slow moving. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Outing

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Death, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional funny 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

3.0

This is probably the most unique book I've read in awhile. It tells the story of Reese, Amy, and Katrina - Amy's new girlfriend. Reese and Amy are both transgender women and spent many years in a relationship, during which they lived together and planned to have a family. Things went astray when Amy made the decision to detransition and become Ames, living as a man instead. Things get even crazier when Ames gets his girlfriend pregnant unexpectedly and crazier still when he suggests Reese co-parent with him and Katrina. A lot of messiness ensues! 

I thought this book was overall, impressive. It is whip smart, funny, and often heartbreaking. It offers a window into a situation unlike anything I've ever read. The characters are complex and have diverse points of view and the dynamics between characters are incredibly interesting. The writing is beautiful and extremely smart - often a little too smart for me. 

The issues I have with it don't necessarily have to do with the quality of the book itself and more with me. I thought that the book was going to be faster paced, and that we were going to see more of the interesting throuple-but-not dynamic than we actually got to see. There is a lot of backstory, which was excellent and told me a lot about Reese and Amy/Ames as people, but not a lot of plot to work with in the present day, which became frustrating for me toward the end. Ultimately, I think that this book is great, and reads quickly despite the slower pacing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Pedophilia

leahrosiee's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

If this wasn’t such a good book for the first 80%, the ending could have ruined it. I love the exploration of nontraditional family. No one can ever fully understand the total complexity of being a woman. I think everyone can relate to something in this story but everyone can, probably more importantly, learn something.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Medical content, Outing, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Miscarriage, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Grief

allwaysbecoming's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

I originally picked up this book because friends told me it was funny, but it's much more intense than I anticipated in all powerful ways. The novel focuses on queerness, parenting, and the complexity of relationships. I loved the way Peters expands the meaning of family outside of the heteronormative structures and the way it allows for the true depth of the lives of trans women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

stellar_hunt's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

jordanrisa's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book — I thought I would enjoy it a lot more than I did based on the great reviews, even though I may not necessarily be the target audience. 

On one hand, it was entertaining and easy to read — got through it in just a few days — and gave me insight into trans relationships and queer parenthood that I had never considered before. 

On the other hand, I found the main character, Reese, to be wholly unlikeable and self-sabotaging, which is always a deal breaker for me in books. I was disappointed in how dismissive the tone was in matters of race and trans women of color and pretty shocked at how casual both Ames and Reese treated Katrina and her body — as an object to be used as a means to their end — as well as their decision to bring a whole human being into the world without any consideration or reflection if they themselves are actually suitable and ready in being responsibly and emotionally available parents. 

While I know Reese is a flawed character, I can’t get past her narrow views of what womanhood is and her reasons for being a mother. 

And then to go through all that mess for a non-ending…. That was pretty disappointing. The ending felt rushed and incomplete. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Violence