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A review by graveyardpansy
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
5.0
4.5 stars - the writing is genuinely beautiful, to the point where I'm super impressed that this is a debut novel. I haven't read a book that uses words that I don't know in a LONG time. The concepts touched on and setting/mood remind me a lot of both [b:Nevada|17313660|Nevada|Imogen Binnie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359770508l/17313660._SY75_.jpg|21399644] and [b:Luster|51541496|Luster|Raven Leilani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568668703l/51541496._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71146734]. Nevada I've seen it compared to (because every ownvoices trans book is compared at some point), which makes sense. Both have a notable lack of strict or obvious plot, and both explore complex relationships and themes without a cisgender audience particularly in mind. The writing in Detransition, Baby is definitely more up my alley, but both are good! Luster has similar themes and a more literary style than Nevada, which is why I see ties there as well. Regardless, Detransition, Baby is remarkable in its own right as well.
The plot, or I guess relative lack thereof, lets you get to know the characters really well, which I loved. Even the side characters were so clear to me, and by the end of the book, the three MCs felt like people I knew. The back-and-forth time skips were handled gracefully and were pretty easy for me to keep track of. They were occasionally too sudden of a tone shift for my taste, but every aspect of a lit fic novel isn't gonna be everyone's favourite.
The depth and thought and care put into every theme of this book - motherhood, the commodification of queerness, transition and detransition, family, sex, community - was so clear. Doing this as a buddy-read (w/ a trans person) made it all the more enjoyable. The things explored are complex and are jumped into without apology (and oftentimes without explanation.) While it was great for me and the level of nuance was exactly what I desired, I definitely don't think this book is for everyone, and cis people should have to pass an entrance exam.
My only real hesitation is that there was relatively frequent comparisons between the plight of trans people and that of POC, which can be a difficult thing to navigate. Comparing oppressions, even when relevant, isn't always productive in the way it's meant to be. AFAIK Peters is white (?), so it struck me as a bit odd that she leaned on that angle as much as she did.
The plot, or I guess relative lack thereof, lets you get to know the characters really well, which I loved. Even the side characters were so clear to me, and by the end of the book, the three MCs felt like people I knew. The back-and-forth time skips were handled gracefully and were pretty easy for me to keep track of. They were occasionally too sudden of a tone shift for my taste, but every aspect of a lit fic novel isn't gonna be everyone's favourite.
The depth and thought and care put into every theme of this book - motherhood, the commodification of queerness, transition and detransition, family, sex, community - was so clear. Doing this as a buddy-read (w/ a trans person) made it all the more enjoyable. The things explored are complex and are jumped into without apology (and oftentimes without explanation.) While it was great for me and the level of nuance was exactly what I desired, I definitely don't think this book is for everyone, and cis people should have to pass an entrance exam.
My only real hesitation is that there was relatively frequent comparisons between the plight of trans people and that of POC, which can be a difficult thing to navigate. Comparing oppressions, even when relevant, isn't always productive in the way it's meant to be. AFAIK Peters is white (?), so it struck me as a bit odd that she leaned on that angle as much as she did.