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A review by lukests
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
reflective
slow-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
2.0
I found this book difficult to read. Some of the language used to refer to trans people and their experiences is outdated and uncomfortable to read. The characters don't have a lot of redeeming qualities about them.
<Spoiler> I also feel it took too long to get to the interesting part of the book. I was genuinely excited to read about queer parenthood. How the trans and cis women were going to figure it out together and how a cis woman might learn more about her own identity when going through this journey with a trans woman. The book spent so long building up the characters, and also giving them qualities that made it hard to root for any of them, when it finally hit the part where the women are exploring how they're going to do this together I felt majorly let down by how brief this is and how easily it all falls apart. Also Katrina being Asian American feels awkwardly shoe horned in, not well developed, and at places stereotypical of how Asian Americans are represented.
Overall I'm happy I read this book, it was an interesting look into a trans authors POV, however the story left me a bit disappointed.
<Spoiler> I also feel it took too long to get to the interesting part of the book. I was genuinely excited to read about queer parenthood. How the trans and cis women were going to figure it out together and how a cis woman might learn more about her own identity when going through this journey with a trans woman. The book spent so long building up the characters, and also giving them qualities that made it hard to root for any of them, when it finally hit the part where the women are exploring how they're going to do this together I felt majorly let down by how brief this is and how easily it all falls apart. Also Katrina being Asian American feels awkwardly shoe horned in, not well developed, and at places stereotypical of how Asian Americans are represented.
Overall I'm happy I read this book, it was an interesting look into a trans authors POV, however the story left me a bit disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Misogyny, Infidelity, Homophobia, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Hate crime and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage, Deadnaming, and Infertility