A review by bobachel
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

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

3.5

I don’t know what to think about this book. Parts of it were very well done. Like, objectively good literature. Interesting allusions and metaphor and creative use of language. 

But then sometimes, it seemed like the writing was so complex and So Much Literature that it felt inaccesible. On the other hand, towards the end of the book, the writing seemed really shallow and juvenile. It seemed like the writing equivalent of starting off a foot race too fast and then limping across the finish line. 

The parts of the book that veered into descriptions of the sex lives and sexuality of the main characters was initially intriguing to me, as I don’t know many trans women. There were so many terms and ideas that were totally new to me. Towards the end of the book, however, I started to feel voyeuristic. Those portions of the narrative that described sex sevens started to feel cheap to me. 

This book shines most when delving into the changing dynamics of the relationships between the triad of main characters, particularly in relationship to their baby. What does it mean to be a mother? Or a father? Can you be a parent without being one or the other? And how does all of that relate to gender identity?

This is one of those books that I will likely be thinking about for awhile. Does that make it a good or great book? I’m not sure. But it was definitely interesting.