A review by spongebobbiii
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Reading “Detransition, Baby” felt important to hear trans voices and experiences. There is so much I don’t know.  Many parts of the story were difficult to read. The abuse that Reese experiences yet also describes as increasing her sexual desire, we’re hard not to semi pathologize if I’m being honest. But this was exactly why I wanted to read it, to challenge my thought processes. Reading this I attempted to have an open mind with recognition I may have some unprocessed transphobia. I also do not know what it is like to be a transgender woman. My experience comes from a place of privilege as a white cis gendered woman. The commentary on gender from a transgender perspective was eye opening. There is so much I take for granted as a cisgendered woman, like what it means to be a woman, motherhood, etc.  I also recognize I am reading this as someone who identifies as asexual, who can vacillate between sex positive, sex neutral, and sex repulsed. The amount of sex in this book was very uncomfortable for me. There were several moments in which I wanted to stop reading because of the amount of sex. Both my partners heard me talking about how uncomfortable the sex scenes made me, but it felt important enough to keep going and I’m really glad I did. As the book went on there was less and less sex and more story. And with more story there came more Conversations about what it means to be a woman, motherhood, and queerness. While I’m not super happy with the ending of the book it also fits the story. I would’ve liked a little bit more wrapup, however, how it ended felt satisfactory.

I gave Detransition, Baby a 3 star rating mainly because of the amount of sex. Other people I know who have read this have rated it 5 stars and I do agree with their ratings. For me the sex really took away from some of the messaging I wanted to gain from the story. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Would I put trigger warnings for abuse and sexual content? Absolutely.

Favorite Parts:
  • The developing relationship between Katrina and Reese is just so heartwarming! The scene at the baby regristy where Katrina goes along with the employee believing  Reese is the one pregnant just warms my heart.
  • Explorations of womanhood, motherhood, and parenthood. 
  • The flashbacks between the past and present.

Enjoyment: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Thought Provoking: 5/5
Ease of Reading: 5/5
Ending: 4/.5
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