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A review by sapphistoire
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Torrey Peters is not shy when it comes to making her novel pack a punch. The book opens with one of our main characters, Reese, pondering why married men are so attractive to her, while she is sneaking around with one of said married men. That is, until her night is interrupted by her ex, Ames, a detransitioned trans woman, phoning her to ask her if she wants to be a mother to his and his boss’ baby. Straight away you’re thrown into this strange dynamic but you never once feel overwhelmed as Torrey Peters’ powerful, evocative writing welcomes you into this whirlwind of a book.
Straight away you discover that Reese is not a likeable main character – in fact, none of them are. Aside from her dalliances with married men, Reese cheats on several of her partners, Katrina, Ames’s boss and carrier of his baby, drunkenly outs Ames one evening to their business partners in a fit of anger, and Ames is often insensitive to both of them all the while swithering over whether he wants to be a father or not. But it all adds to the charm of the novel – it’s gritty and realistic and leaves your sympathies with each character always hanging in the balance.
As you might expect, there is a great deal of discussion on gender in this book. Torrey writes about gender in such a powerful way, examining both the cruelty and freedom of gender and gender expression, not only with regards to trans people, but also cis people. and it is made very plain throughout the book that this is an analysis of the experiences of white trans people in particular. With regards to Ames, we get to understand detransition and the fluctuation of identity, as well as the prejudices faced by him having detransitioned. There is also a great deal of discussion surrounding pregnancy, motherhood and loss of a child, alongside the topic of cishet people co-opting queerness, both of which I found very thought-provoking.
My one gripe with the novel was that, to me, the synopsis suggests that this would be the story of the three of them trying to figure out how to be co-parents and raising this child, but I would say a large majority of the book is dedicated to Reese and Ames’ past as lovers. This is, of course, a very important aspect of the story, but the pregnancy in question almost felt, to me, to take a backseat. I do know, however, that for many other people this will be something that they really enjoy, as it is such a reflective, character driven story.
If you’re new to literary fiction, this may not be the book for you, but for a staunch lover of the genre this is a delicious, heartbreaking debut that will leave you dying for more of Torrey Peters’ beautiful prose.
Straight away you discover that Reese is not a likeable main character – in fact, none of them are. Aside from her dalliances with married men, Reese cheats on several of her partners, Katrina, Ames’s boss and carrier of his baby, drunkenly outs Ames one evening to their business partners in a fit of anger, and Ames is often insensitive to both of them all the while swithering over whether he wants to be a father or not. But it all adds to the charm of the novel – it’s gritty and realistic and leaves your sympathies with each character always hanging in the balance.
As you might expect, there is a great deal of discussion on gender in this book. Torrey writes about gender in such a powerful way, examining both the cruelty and freedom of gender and gender expression, not only with regards to trans people, but also cis people. and it is made very plain throughout the book that this is an analysis of the experiences of white trans people in particular. With regards to Ames, we get to understand detransition and the fluctuation of identity, as well as the prejudices faced by him having detransitioned. There is also a great deal of discussion surrounding pregnancy, motherhood and loss of a child, alongside the topic of cishet people co-opting queerness, both of which I found very thought-provoking.
My one gripe with the novel was that, to me, the synopsis suggests that this would be the story of the three of them trying to figure out how to be co-parents and raising this child, but I would say a large majority of the book is dedicated to Reese and Ames’ past as lovers. This is, of course, a very important aspect of the story, but the pregnancy in question almost felt, to me, to take a backseat. I do know, however, that for many other people this will be something that they really enjoy, as it is such a reflective, character driven story.
If you’re new to literary fiction, this may not be the book for you, but for a staunch lover of the genre this is a delicious, heartbreaking debut that will leave you dying for more of Torrey Peters’ beautiful prose.