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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a whole lot. i need a few business days to properly put together my toughts on this. i can already say i definitely enjoyed it and i especially appreciated its rawness and honesty. i can see why that would make this book rather divisive but for me it was a plus. i'm still not sure how i feel about the plot as a whole though. perhaps it was a tad bit too ambitious.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a good book!! Love the two perspectives. Unfiltered and raw and doesn’t shy away from whole life experiences. Love it!!
emotional
funny
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
challenging
dark
informative
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:
Complicated
Things I loved: the insider and heavily nuanced view of a trans woman, womenhood, transition, and non heteronormative families.
Things i didnt love: the ending… I KNOW that this is a classic literary fiction in that the plot is not traditionally climactic but UGH
Things i didnt love: the ending… I KNOW that this is a classic literary fiction in that the plot is not traditionally climactic but UGH
3.5, but rounding up because it was ultimately an interesting read.
What this book does well:
- trans visibility: throughout my read I felt like I shouldn’t be reading this as a cis woman. It felt so deeply in house and raw, but it was enthralling. Obviously, this is one trans author’s take on the trans experience so it cannot be extrapolated out to say THIS is the trans experience, but it’s the most unarmed exploration of trans womanhood I’ve read.
- messy: it’s a messy dramatic book full of flawed characters doing fucked up and human things. I don’t root for any of the characters, but that’s not what literature is about.
- exploration of gender embodiment and performance: many people will be repulsed by the way violence is used to confer or withhold womanhood for these characters, and at times it tips into the misogynistic and self hating territory - BUT in these conversations and negotiations I see a very interesting and self-possessed creation of womanhood in a way cis women typically do not embark on.
Where it struggles:
- overwritten. There are monologues and expositions that aren’t often useful. It could’ve used another edit
- race: the book is exclusively from a white trans perspective and it shows. And Katrina, the only POC, is treated like a conduit to the desires of the two main characters. And when trans women of color are brought up, it is in the classically tone deaf way to justify white women’s victimhood. But honestly, I looked over this as I don’t expect anything more from white women.
- Dips into misogynist territory: quite a few times characters share misogynist opinion that go unexamined, interrupting the book for me and undercutting what I think it does really well. Still, while chafed, it doesn’t disrupt the entire experience for me because internalized misogyny is real - of course trans women would struggle with it as well
What this book does well:
- trans visibility: throughout my read I felt like I shouldn’t be reading this as a cis woman. It felt so deeply in house and raw, but it was enthralling. Obviously, this is one trans author’s take on the trans experience so it cannot be extrapolated out to say THIS is the trans experience, but it’s the most unarmed exploration of trans womanhood I’ve read.
- messy: it’s a messy dramatic book full of flawed characters doing fucked up and human things. I don’t root for any of the characters, but that’s not what literature is about.
- exploration of gender embodiment and performance: many people will be repulsed by the way violence is used to confer or withhold womanhood for these characters, and at times it tips into the misogynistic and self hating territory - BUT in these conversations and negotiations I see a very interesting and self-possessed creation of womanhood in a way cis women typically do not embark on.
Where it struggles:
- overwritten. There are monologues and expositions that aren’t often useful. It could’ve used another edit
- race: the book is exclusively from a white trans perspective and it shows. And Katrina, the only POC, is treated like a conduit to the desires of the two main characters. And when trans women of color are brought up, it is in the classically tone deaf way to justify white women’s victimhood. But honestly, I looked over this as I don’t expect anything more from white women.
- Dips into misogynist territory: quite a few times characters share misogynist opinion that go unexamined, interrupting the book for me and undercutting what I think it does really well. Still, while chafed, it doesn’t disrupt the entire experience for me because internalized misogyny is real - of course trans women would struggle with it as well
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated