Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

4.03 AVERAGE

ninaclaire's profile picture

ninaclaire's review against another edition

4.75
challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
criaturamagica's profile picture

criaturamagica's review against another edition

4.0
challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jess_johnson93's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

emilynancy5's review against another edition

3.5
adventurous reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
This was honestly a strange book to read, but I appreciate the different perspective it presented that I probably wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. 
emmanoellovato's profile picture

emmanoellovato's review against another edition

5.0
emotional funny reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
This was incredible. Probably the best book i’ll read all year (which would be sad, because it’s only June). Like, wow. Just so tender and thoughtful, but also sexy and fucking hilarious. And just so so queer. I will recommend to everyone. I can’t believe it took me so long to read this! 

devoregr's review against another edition

3.5
challenging reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

salmonfry's review against another edition

4.0
emotional reflective
incredibly well-crafted

kdaniel94's review against another edition

4.5
emotional funny reflective
dbg_was_here's profile picture

dbg_was_here's review against another edition

5.0
challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
”Every generation must reinvent parenting.”

The Story

Ames and Reese broke up after his detransition, but they can still be family, right? Ames hopes so. Katrina, his boss and new girlfriend, is pregnant with his child, and Ames is convinced that co-parenting with Reese and Katrina is the best solution.

All he has to do is tell Katrina about his transgender past. And all Katrina has to do is accept it unconditionally. And all Reese has to do is raise a child with her ex, potentially one of the few chances she’ll have as a trans woman to bring her mundane fantasies to life. What could go wrong?

My Verdict

Come thru, mawmaw!!!
Delightfully messy and candid.

What I Loved

  • A book written for the trans community. This isn’t a story to “teach,” but to center—you either get it or you don’t.
  • The juvenile elephants metaphor. What a relatable yet devastating example of growing up without elders to mentor us.
  • This book doesn’t shy away from the unique experiences of trans folks of color, but it (rightfully) leaves specifics for those who know them best.

What You’ll Love

  • Characters you may equally love and hate throughout for their chaotic yet very human existence.
  • The tender early interactions at the Glamour Boutique. Everyone deserves to be understood this way.
  • A beautiful meditation on transgender identity and motherhood—not only traditional mothers, but also those beyond the binary (e.g., house mothers).

This review has been repurposed from content designed to be published on my Instagram, so it may be missing elements that would complete the presentation. To see more or follow other reviews, meet me on Instagram at @dbg.was.here.
eli_jw's profile picture

eli_jw's review against another edition

4.0
challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes