Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

52 reviews

squishmallow161's review

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Dysphoria, Gaslighting, and Outing

Minor: Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Suicide

cecilialau_'s review against another edition

3.75

It’s been confirmed that long chapters work against my experience of a book… Unfortunately.  I found it hard at times to pick this book back up while also really wanting to love it. There are some cracking narrative parts in it for sure throughout. I did also find some parts of it a bit long. Maybe it was a case of “wrong time” for me with this one atm. I’m really glad I read it though.

It’s a story that’s insightful and definitely worth telling (and absorbing) - as is anything outside the heteronormative btw. For ppl to learn and expand their horizons - including on the question on motherhood within and outside the lgbtq+ community.
I found the characters messy and flawed and unlikeable at time which worked really well to illustrate the (difficult) dynamic between the trio.

Spoiler

It didn’t sit right with me that Iris kept using the she/her pronoun with Ames even though it might have been a subtle way for the author to say that misgendering doesn’t just happen outside the trans community, but if so I found it too subtle as it wasn’t pointed out and I just thought it was disrespectful and unnecessarily mean (even though Iris dislikes Ames).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Outing, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Transphobia, and Violence

maarigirl's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Minor: Suicide attempt, Racism, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing, Infidelity, and Hate crime

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was absolutely fantastic, a real tour-de-force and unapologetically full of trans joy and heartache. The characters felt so raw and real in a way that I haven't found in a book for a long time. I liked how messy and complex they were and how unconventional their decision to co-parent was. I know I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Outing, Suicide, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Violence

leadpal's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual content, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Infertility, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Pregnancy, Stalking, Self harm, Hate crime, and Abortion

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Rape, Medical content, Homophobia, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

tome's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Car accident, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Outing, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Violence, Drug use, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

lemusk7's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infertility, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

theotheleo's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

made me reconsider my own future as a trans person 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Suicide, Transphobia, and Hate crime

Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Murder, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization

klimatyczny_bluszcz's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It was an incredibly good read - perfectly balanced irony with seriousness. It deals with topics that nobody wants to talk about - detransition, queer and polymourous co-parenthood, the dark and tearing parts about being trans. It was honest and authentic in expressing some of trans experiences while acknowledging that there are as many perspectives as trans people. The author celebrated transness in its everydayness and special moments. The story was emotional, unique and unforgettable. Glad that I happened to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Homophobia, Grief, Dysphoria, and Abortion

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Outing

Minor: Police brutality and Miscarriage

lovegriefandgender's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's tough being trans. As I was reading Detransition, Baby a 16-year old trans girl was murdered in London, and unable to articulate so much rush of feeling I turned hungrily, savagely back to the pages of the book. It seems to be a place, being trans, of endless longing and therefore endless loss, where we are summoned to question our own pain and circular motions and regret and suffering against any other group who had experienced any of those things. I don't think we're brave. Not really. I think we live in an interrogated space, a grey space, where no future can be known as fact.  Then we have to ask what we want: motherhood? Career? Love? Sex? Most of us would be happy just to have something meaningful to say. Yeah. This is where we live. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Outing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia