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A review by chelsaat
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
Mixed thoughts on this one! I really liked seeing this glimpse of life in the trans community, and felt like I learned a lot. Ames in particular is a heartbreaking character that I really sympathized with.
However, this was a much slower read for me than I was anticipating. Parts of this were super overwritten, where at times I felt like I was reading an op-ed about gender studies instead of a piece of narrative fiction.
Reese in particular bugged me, I think partially on purpose. Especially when it came to her relationships with men. “Every woman adores a fascist.” What??? It came across to me that she thought women are always destined to be victims and therefore craved that in her relationships.
The reasons she gave for wanting a baby also bugged. She essentially says that she is owed one because she's a woman. Katrina does try to push back, saying not all women with uteruses can have children either, but I didn't get the sense that Reese really internalized this. In fact none of the characters really grow or change outside of their flashbacks.
I really wanted these three to work it out, to prove that different kinds of families can exist. And the ending is ambiguous enough that MAYBE this can still happen. But idk. They’re all kind of a mess still so they probably shouldn’t have a baby, lol.
It did give me a lot to think about, I can't deny. Great book for book clubs.
However, this was a much slower read for me than I was anticipating. Parts of this were super overwritten, where at times I felt like I was reading an op-ed about gender studies instead of a piece of narrative fiction.
Reese in particular bugged me, I think partially on purpose. Especially when it came to her relationships with men. “Every woman adores a fascist.” What??? It came across to me that she thought women are always destined to be victims and therefore craved that in her relationships.
The reasons she gave for wanting a baby also bugged. She essentially says that she is owed one because she's a woman. Katrina does try to push back, saying not all women with uteruses can have children either, but I didn't get the sense that Reese really internalized this. In fact none of the characters really grow or change outside of their flashbacks.
I really wanted these three to work it out, to prove that different kinds of families can exist. And the ending is ambiguous enough that MAYBE this can still happen. But idk. They’re all kind of a mess still so they probably shouldn’t have a baby, lol.
It did give me a lot to think about, I can't deny. Great book for book clubs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide