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A review by buer
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"Detransition, Baby" is a reflection on relationships, parenthood, and gender told through the unique lens of a trans woman (Reese), a CIS woman (Katrina), a person who detransitioned after living as a transwoman for several years (Ames). This trio, at the encouragement of Ames, is trying to figure out if they could be a set of parents for the unexpected pregnancy of Ames and Katrina.
Author Torrey Peters invites her readers along on a journey in which we grapple with the many intersectional identities of the characters in Detransition, Baby. Each member of the trio at some point finds themselves surprised that their experiences as a marginalized person isn't taken completely at at face value. Arguments are had in which race butts up against gender which butts up against queerness which butts up against class and so on.
Peters does not shy away from petty personal arguments, sloppy relationships, or timely socio-political arguments. She seems to feel no pressure to make us like any of the characters. All of them have redeeming qualities, but so to do all of them do or say atrocious things. At times this makes the book a little uncomfortable to read and sometimes those timely arguments feel a little heavy-handed.
Without jumping into the realm of spoilers, let's just say that secrets of all kinds are revealed - often in traumatic environments. As I mentioned, none of these characters are perfect, and that results in moments of true meanness that can range in severity from mildly cringey to incredibly triggering.
I listened to this book instead of reading it, which I found really nice for this story, although based on my previous experience this means that I feel pretty ill-equipped to comment on the Peters' writing outside of the realm of crafting a compelling story and writing smooth dialogue.
Overall I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a nuanced tale of parenthood, relationships, and queerness.
Author Torrey Peters invites her readers along on a journey in which we grapple with the many intersectional identities of the characters in Detransition, Baby. Each member of the trio at some point finds themselves surprised that their experiences as a marginalized person isn't taken completely at at face value. Arguments are had in which race butts up against gender which butts up against queerness which butts up against class and so on.
Peters does not shy away from petty personal arguments, sloppy relationships, or timely socio-political arguments. She seems to feel no pressure to make us like any of the characters. All of them have redeeming qualities, but so to do all of them do or say atrocious things. At times this makes the book a little uncomfortable to read and sometimes those timely arguments feel a little heavy-handed.
Without jumping into the realm of spoilers, let's just say that secrets of all kinds are revealed - often in traumatic environments. As I mentioned, none of these characters are perfect, and that results in moments of true meanness that can range in severity from mildly cringey to incredibly triggering.
I listened to this book instead of reading it, which I found really nice for this story, although based on my previous experience this means that I feel pretty ill-equipped to comment on the Peters' writing outside of the realm of crafting a compelling story and writing smooth dialogue.
Overall I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a nuanced tale of parenthood, relationships, and queerness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing
Moderate: Sexual content