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A review by chamomiledaydreams
Pageboy by Elliot Page
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
I went into this memoir, thinking, "I can handle whatever Elliot Page throws at me." I figured we'd have enough shared experiences that descriptions of dysphoria wouldn't faze me. And it's true that the bits about dysphoria and being trans in general were familiar enough that they didn't bother me very much. It was actually pretty validating to hear someone else describe it. It made me think, "Yeah, it IS that bad! But we're not alone in feeling this way."
I was not expecting the wide variety of topics that Page addresses, from emotionally manipulative fathers to eating disorders. Those subjects disturbed me a lot, and I was surprised by how off-kilter this book made me feel. It's still worth the read, and I wouldn't have acted differently had I seen a list of content warnings going in. It just goes to show that you can't assume anything about a person or their memoir. I thought, "Elliot Page is widely known for being a trans actor. So I'm sure that those will be the main topics in his book: being trans and acting." In reality, "Pageboy" is about so much more.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Halifax and the areas in Canada where Page grew up. I even had a dream last night that I discovered a nearby ice cream shop that sold the flavor "moon mist," which I am now intent on trying at some point. I also thought it was interesting to hear the story of someone who knew that they were trans for years but didn't act upon it for decades. I relate to Page's experience of feeling worse about my gender as time goes on, but unlike him, I can't say that I "always" knew I was nonbinary. For most of my life, I didn't even know that was an option!
Page and I are only twelve years apart, but I felt our age gap viscerally while listening to this audiobook (which he does a great job narrating, by the way). I'm shocked at how different being queer in middle school is today, for my friends' younger siblings, and I'm shocked at being reminded of how different it was for people ten years my senior. It's amazing how quickly things change, and even if it wasn't easy to be out in grade school in the 2010s, even a handful of years has made a major difference in how tolerant people are of one another.
I'm glad that Page decided to share his story, and I'm happy that I finally got the chance to read his memoir. I haven't seen him in any shows besides "The Umbrella Academy," and I'm very glad that Viktor's identity has grown with Page's. It's amazing to see a trans character on TV, especially one whose story was allowed to develop in unanticipated directions. I think that the TV show and its audience are all the better for it.
I was not expecting the wide variety of topics that Page addresses, from emotionally manipulative fathers to eating disorders. Those subjects disturbed me a lot, and I was surprised by how off-kilter this book made me feel. It's still worth the read, and I wouldn't have acted differently had I seen a list of content warnings going in. It just goes to show that you can't assume anything about a person or their memoir. I thought, "Elliot Page is widely known for being a trans actor. So I'm sure that those will be the main topics in his book: being trans and acting." In reality, "Pageboy" is about so much more.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Halifax and the areas in Canada where Page grew up. I even had a dream last night that I discovered a nearby ice cream shop that sold the flavor "moon mist," which I am now intent on trying at some point. I also thought it was interesting to hear the story of someone who knew that they were trans for years but didn't act upon it for decades. I relate to Page's experience of feeling worse about my gender as time goes on, but unlike him, I can't say that I "always" knew I was nonbinary. For most of my life, I didn't even know that was an option!
Page and I are only twelve years apart, but I felt our age gap viscerally while listening to this audiobook (which he does a great job narrating, by the way). I'm shocked at how different being queer in middle school is today, for my friends' younger siblings, and I'm shocked at being reminded of how different it was for people ten years my senior. It's amazing how quickly things change, and even if it wasn't easy to be out in grade school in the 2010s, even a handful of years has made a major difference in how tolerant people are of one another.
I'm glad that Page decided to share his story, and I'm happy that I finally got the chance to read his memoir. I haven't seen him in any shows besides "The Umbrella Academy," and I'm very glad that Viktor's identity has grown with Page's. It's amazing to see a trans character on TV, especially one whose story was allowed to develop in unanticipated directions. I think that the TV show and its audience are all the better for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia