Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

83 reviews

thepermageek's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense 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

5.0

First off, I need to just come out & say it:
There are no heroes in this book. 

Every single character is super flawed (like all humans really). Which is one of the reasons I loved it! Another reason is that it accurately depicts life for city-dwelling trans people (and in particular trans women) in the 21st century. 

For instance, some of the settings include picnics in the park, queer dance parties, funerals, & sex workers' clients' apartments. 

FYI there are some pretty rough moments in the book depicting violence & internalized transphobic narratives so if yr trans probably best to read it when yr in a good (enough) headspace.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Grief and Suicide

brnineworms's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Messy bitches all round.
Exceptionally well-written, until the ending where it felt like the brakes were slammed; it faltered then just kind of stopped, and not in a satisfyingly unsatisfying way. Still, I liked it a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Outing, Dysphoria, Sexism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Abortion, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Suicide, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Murder, Racism, Eating disorder, Trafficking, Car accident, Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Colonisation

paleghosty's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts

clara_k's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide and Sexual harassment

jdamae11's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion and Racism

minxtte's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, Infertility, Domestic abuse, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Addiction, Alcohol, and Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment and Eating disorder

montyroz's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Outing, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Hate crime

Minor: Abortion

emhunsber's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Outing, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Body horror, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, Infertility, Infidelity, Gore, Grief, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Confinement

erint251's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Outing, Dysphoria, and Hate crime

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Homophobia, Abortion, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective tense 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

4.5

Detransition, Baby is a book which will inevitably polarize people. Just like its title, its contents are at times quite challenging. Even at its least provocative there will be someone reading somewhere shrieking in horror at what they just read. It is in that challenging nature of the book that I adore how brave Torrey Peters was in telling a story of gender, of mother & fatherhood, of queerness and overwhelmingly of the prejudice and trauma that everyone carries around regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

It would have been easy and hugely less controversial for Peters to make these 3 women flawless and likeable but rather than take the easy route she showed how deeply flawed and damaged all three of them were in their own ways. There are chunks of the book that reek of misogyny. There are violent, graphic and demeaning sex scenes. There are deeply prejudiced thoughts thrown about on occasion. There are sections where you will think what the actual f*** is wrong with them. And then there are sections full of love, tenderness, fulfillment and a deep yet brutal level of understanding and self awareness. Peters shies away from the fluffy rainbow coloured persona often provided and delves deep into what can be at times an absolute tangle of beautiful destruction.

Towards the last few chapters I longed to know just that little bit more about Reese and her backstory, her character was so full and intriguing I wanted to know more about where all that angst and inner turmoil came from. That and some other lingering questions kept me from that last star.

Overall, while this will not be a book for everyone, I think everyone should at least attempt to read it with an open mind and glean from it what they can.
What Peters showed effortlessly throughout the book is that none of it is easy, being trans, being queer or indeed immersing yourself into those worlds as a straight cis female. It's complicated and I loved Detransition, Baby for that honesty and rawness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Cursing, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Outing, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Drug use