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A review by moonyreadsbystarlight
My Body is Distant by Paige Maylott
emotional
reflective
4.5
In My Body is Distant, Paige Maylott goes back and forth throughout her life, revealing a lot about her relationship with technology, transition, disability, and other people in her life. At face value, this book is right in my wheelhouse, but under the surface there's even more that I loved.
Not only is it a trans narrative with interweaving themes, it's very messy and queer. There was also so much about technology that I thought was really profound. And if I try to really lay out my thoughts, I will go well beyond what people want to read in an online book review. Not only is her relationship with technology somehow both incredibly niche and so quinessentially of-the-time, there is also so much about it that is *very* trans (and I say that, not only as a trans person in online spaces, but as a sociologist who has looked at other niche online spaces and the role they have played for queer and trans people).
Then, I loved a lot about the narrative itself. The non-chronological structure along with the choice to narrate online scenes just as fluidly as the Real Life scenes made the reading experience interesting certainly, but it also made the parallel scenes that much more impactful.
There is just so much I really enjoyed and I can't stop thinking about it. So, if you're into nonlinear narrative, queer books, themes around technology and self, and aren't afraid of a little furry smut, this is one to look out for.
(I received a review copy of this from the publisher to give an honest review)
Not only is it a trans narrative with interweaving themes, it's very messy and queer. There was also so much about technology that I thought was really profound. And if I try to really lay out my thoughts, I will go well beyond what people want to read in an online book review. Not only is her relationship with technology somehow both incredibly niche and so quinessentially of-the-time, there is also so much about it that is *very* trans (and I say that, not only as a trans person in online spaces, but as a sociologist who has looked at other niche online spaces and the role they have played for queer and trans people).
Then, I loved a lot about the narrative itself. The non-chronological structure along with the choice to narrate online scenes just as fluidly as the Real Life scenes made the reading experience interesting certainly, but it also made the parallel scenes that much more impactful.
There is just so much I really enjoyed and I can't stop thinking about it. So, if you're into nonlinear narrative, queer books, themes around technology and self, and aren't afraid of a little furry smut, this is one to look out for.
(I received a review copy of this from the publisher to give an honest review)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, and Dysphoria