Jumping from acid and witty to heartbreaking and honest, DETRANSITION, BABY is a deep character study of three women, and of womanhood and motherhood itself. The sharp observational style encloses a deeply felt heart. The moments where hope breaks through are all the more affecting because of the book's baseline tendency towards a wry, cynical narrative voice. The victory here is not in the attainment of motherhood and domestic life, but in these characters slowly becoming honest. They're all flawed, messy people, finely drawn and psychologically complex, freed from "likeability" and instead given room to breathe. Ames' emotional distancing/dissociation and its relation to shame particularly stood out to me. An impressive, compelling debut.

The premise of this book was so fascinating to me, and Torrey Peters largely delivered on the promise of an intricate and complex look at gender and how we are all socialized to gender norms. My attention was captured from the beginning, and I felt attached to each of the main characters by the end of the book. Peters created complex and challenging characters that were believable and sympathetic. 

I think it's crucial for us to keep telling queer stories, and this one was fantastic.

Yes! All the stars for this own voices novel about three women and motherhood. The three main characters were so rich and complex.  I loved the idea of family and community that is highlighted in this novel as well as the very prevalent narrative that the way most folks do things is not the only way. Will be on lots of best of lists for 2021, I am sure.

5 million good mango units! 

Detransition, Baby brings us into the life of Reese, a trans woman, who is presented with an exciting chance to become a mother. However, the opportunity comes with a hitch: Reese’s ex-girlfriend Amy (now Ames by way of detransition) got his boss pregnant and his proposal to both women is a three-person-parenthood.

This novel is incredibly sophisticated and well written. It reflects upon humanism and encourages the reader to do so as well.  From a variety of perspectives, Torrey Peters unravels the complexities of motherhood, the sensitivities of body dysphoria, the fallibility of humans, and the intricacies of gender and being transgender- all of which she handles in such a tender (and sometimes humorous) manner. 

I especially enjoyed the psychological references and ideas this novel brought into play. Through engaging storytelling, Peters discusses somatic decision-making and ponders attachment theories with reference to The Elephant Breakdown- an article on the impacts of social trauma. Detransition, Baby is a meaningful and transcendent read; both thought-provoking and enlightening.

Netgalley review. I love memoirs overall which made me really interested in this book. However, I was especially interested in reading about a transgender couples' experience. I don't personally know anyone who is transgender, and it was really interesting and eye opening to learn about this narrators' story. You cannot read this without feeling their emotions - the fear, pain, joys, hopes, disappointments, and more. I especially was fascinated by the specific story and how it covered the concept of family. This book will be polarizing to those who are not willing to be open minded about womanhood and motherhood. I hope if readers did not enter with an open mind, they at least leave with one.

Torrey Peters is an excellent writer, her dialog, setting, pace, and detail were all pitch perfect. Even though I learned a lot of new words like detransitioned and seroconverted from this book, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this riveting, romantic story about how an unplanned pregnancy affects a trio of very varied womxn who could be described as CISgender, transgender, genderfluid, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, or non-binary.

Stories about family relationships tend to focus on those who are cisgender and heterosexual and/or in the typical nuclear family group. Detransition, Baby subverts this particular genre to focus on three women—one cisgender, two transgender—who try to figure out how to raise a baby together. Cue a very messy, but honest journey of these three characters who try to make sense of their own identities, their potential role as a parent, and general woes of adulthood (money, relationships, etc.). It is incredibly refreshing to read a book with such well-developed trans characters, especially a character like Ames—formerly Amy—who detransistioned, but not because he no longer identified as a woman.

And this is what I loved about Detransition, Baby. Peters did a phenomenal job exploring the fluidity of gender and sexuality through her three characters. Reese never holds on to a particular label, other than that she’s a trans woman who desperately wants to be a mother. Katrina is a cisgender woman who, until meeting Ames and Reese, questions cisheteronormativity. And Ames perhaps exemplifies the realities of how fluid gender/sexuality can be as Peters lets readers into his mind to understand this particular struggle.

It’s important that this particular struggle is exemplified, because the media tends to depict transness as a binary, when it’s anything but. And for cis people, this book might be a lot to take in because of how messy all of this tends to get and the impact they have on one’s life. Throughout this novel, something the characters—and hopefully the readers—realize is the importance of empathy through the whirlwinds of life, especially when everyone is coming from such different walks of life. I think one setback in all of this is the novel could come off as preachy about trans issues at times, but it’s always tough to write something that’s geared towards any audience demographic— Identifying as trans myself, I found it overbearing at times, but I can see how this would be eye-opening for those who have little to no knowledge of trans issues.

One thing I wasn’t entirely fond of—though this is a matter of preference and not the fault of the author—was how raunchy the book was. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much sexual content. Despite this, I still appreciated that these three women were given a space to be and feel sexy. Peters started hovering towards trans women and sex work at times, but pulled away, perhaps for the better since that in itself is its own story.

Ultimately, Detransition, Baby is an incredibly refreshing take on family dynamics that will make you laugh, but also contemplate one of many examples of what’s happening outside of society’s definition of a family. Peters wrote a much needed book to diversify this niche but popular genre.


I will be publishing this review on my own blog, Instagram, and Goodreads sometime in November 2020.

Peters has made the leap from novellas to full-length novels with deftness and grace, scaling her oeuvre (trans politics and experiences that trans and cis people alike prefer to sweep under the carpet for the sake of an easily digested narrative; see for example the reviewers who complained that this, a work of fiction, did not adequately satisfy their voyeuristic appetites for "transsexual psychology") accordingly. Messy and human in the best way.

What an incredible debut novel. I read this in what felt like one sitting, and every time I had to stop reading, the characters lingered with me. Peters is fiercely talented. She managed to write a book that is as emotionally intelligent and compelling as it is flat-out fun to read, and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next. This is one I've recommended to anyone who asks what I've been reading lately.

God, this book is good. Three women's lives, different and complicated and intertwining, all dealing with problems of womanhood and femininity apart and together. I don't have a deep, profound review; I'm too in my feelings for that. There were a number of moments that took my breath away, especially in the early chapters—the writing is absolutely beautiful—and at the very end. The end drew the book together for me; I felt as though I was losing the thread a couple times in the back half, but it ended on such a complex, heart-rending, compassionate, satisfying note. There was the occasional setting that didn't interest me, especially the gala, though I understood how crucial the luxury was to the moment, especially to Reese. Even in these moments, the narrative and characters sang.

The book was about class and transness and family, what it is to *be* a woman and what it is to *do* womanhood and how they are different and the same. Because this book is written from a trans perspective, Katrina's cruelty, well meaning or intentional, was felt. Everyone in this book is a mess, but compassion edges in around everyone's sharp edges again and again, whether or not offered in tandem with forgiveness. But the element that landed most with me was Amy's detachment: it was so convincing and so felt, her ambivalence to such major events, an impression only unspooled in flashbacks when we see her embodying a more joyful life only to have it unspool. Especially contrasted against Reese's eventual quest for unfeeling, it rang: Amy abandoned the elements of her presentation that were most meaningful, that made her feel the most, because that act of feeling hurt too much.

Shit, man. I don't have an analytical review for this because I'm too busy feeling my own feelings. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. Eagerly watching for the next thing Torrey Peters puts out, and so excited to recommend this book far and wide.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I did not like this book, and not for reasons many will assume. First of all seriously, that was the end?? But that is a personal issue as I simply hate completely unfinished finishes. But what really bothered me was I wanted to finish this book feeling like I gained a better understanding the transsexual psychology involved in a very interesting story premise. Instead I got too deep an explanation of some of the transsexual psychology in the story, to the point where I found myself skipping paragraphs, and absolutely no explanation of other points of transsexual psychology, to the point where I feel unable to understand certain parts of the story. It simply left me dissatisfied with the story.

So, I have been on a mission to read more diverse authors and fiction topics lately -- to open my mind and my world to different views and experiences. This book explores the lives of transgender women (male to female). It was interesting that a portion of the book referenced that the term "transgender" did not even exist until the HIV/AIDS crisis and was created by the CDC as a distinct category for the purposes of resource allocation vs. a thoughtful consideration of the actual gender/sexual experience. So yes, I learned some stuff. The book centers around three women: a transgender woman (Reese), her former girlfriend (Amy/Ames/James) who lived as and detransitioned from life as a transgender woman, and Katrina, the cis-gender (maybe) woman Ames becomes involved with. When Katrina becomes pregnant, Ames proposes that the three raise the baby together as a family and that part of the novel is quite good. So, on the plus side, there was lots of interesting insights into alternative family structures, the LGBTQ experience and the complexity of relationships. On the con side, it was kind of convoluted at the front end, really hard to keep track of characters and a bit too much sexual content for my taste. This is kind of a niche read...can't really recommend broadly.

What an unusual, interesting, beautifully written book!  Peters has a deft skill for writing complex, unusual, human characters, which is really what this novel most succeeds at as the three women explore the definition and limitations of femininity and womanhood.  As a cis woman, I loved gaining insight into the trans community and found this novel to be both exquisitely poignant and deeply thought provoking.

This book focuses on three women and a potential baby plot (one cis, one trans, one now a man again). I honestly requested this book because I liked the title and the cover. I didn't expect to be so engrossed in this story. This is definitely an Own Voices novel primarily about transwomen in New York City, but is also about much more. The main character, Reese, is complex and mysterious, and yet vulnerable and transparent in so many ways. A 34-year-old white, trans woman, she craves the kind of normalcy (husband, children, nice clothes) afforded to the cis women with whom she identifies, even as she pursues affairs with married cis men who treat her badly, and has given up any belief in fairy tale endings. She was in a relationship with Amy, another transwoman, but we meet Amy as Ames after he has de-transitioned. I honestly knew next to nothing about detransitioning before reading this nobvel. I feel like I really gained a new perspective on trans culture. I put myself into a new mindset through Reese, Ames, and their friends. As a cisgender woman, I have never viewed the world through the eyes of a trans person before. I feel like I learned a new outlook on motherhood and even relationships through the process of this story. The writing is beautiful and honest. The characters are well-developed but flawed. I loved this book.

Review based on an ARC generously sent to me via Netgalley!
 
Wow, I’m completely blown away. I read (and loved) both of Torrey Peters’ novellas that she has released (Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones, The Masker) earlier this year, and I was extremely excited upon learning she has a new full length coming out next year. For reference, as it informs my reading of the novel: I’m a trans woman myself, somewhere in the liminal space between closeted and fully out. The main narrative follows three characters: Reese, a trans woman who longs to settle down and have a “normal” relationship/life, complete with a husband and baby; Amy/Ames, a formerly out trans woman now detransitioned and living as a man; and Katrina, a cis woman who finds herself pregnant and unexpectedly thrust into the queer world. We see the different ways that all three characters view both womanhood and motherhood, while all working towards a common goal of starting a family.

Peters tells the story from Reese’s and Amy’s/Ames’ points of view, alternating expertly between two timelines: one after Katrina realizes she’s pregnant with Ames’ child, and one from years before, from when Ames was still living as Amy and in a relationship with Reese. Every single character is written with such a degree of care that it’s hard to not empathize with everyone, as you can clearly see where they’re coming from and why they would think that way. The parts that got to me the most were the internal monologues of Reese in the present timeline regarding her feelings toward motherhood, and those of Amy in the past timeline toward sex, particularly in Chapter 4. As you can imagine, Peters gets into the many uncomfortable realities that being trans entails, including things not very often spoken about, and many of the things that various characters in this book say or think deeply resonated with me, or made me reconsider something that I had previously accepted as fact. As trans fiction is not exactly the most common genre, this novel was a breath of fresh air, and I’m grateful to have a new favorite author to follow for years to come.

Despite this being a (very) queer novel, I feel that it could be enjoyed by anyone, trans or cis, who enjoys contemporary stories about well-written, realistic characters trying to make the best out of a situation that none of them expected to be in. The book is alternately hilarious and devastating, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I received a complimentary copy of Detransition, Baby from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was an interesting novel.  It answered questions I didn't know I even had and then some.  Very eye-opening.  Definitely not for everyone, but it sure made me think about the pursuit of happiness (and how lucky most people are).

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Can this be my book of the year if it doesn’t actually come out until 2021? Beautifully written, engrossing, poignant. I felt as though I were invited into a world that looks and moves like mine but isn’t entirely—and that’s what makes it so especially enchanting. Moments of familiarity bleed into fragments of difference and yet it all feels so intimate and recognizable that I couldn’t help but want to live in this book. Torrey Peters is now an author I’ll forever be on the lookout for; I am grateful to her for sharing this story and these characters with the world.

such an incredible cover. i love the colour scheme a lot. this book had me hooked from the start, such a poignant read and one i'd read again

I have a lot of feelings about this book— wow! The way Torrey Peters writes this nuanced experience of being trans femme (specifically being a white trans woman) is raw and honest in a way that brings validation to an experience that I think a lot of trans folks have. 

The story/plot is also really honest. Three people coming together over the idea of raising a baby in an unconventional way. The topic of queerness in family dynamics is explored in a way that isn’t dramatized, stigmatized, or romanticized. It’s hard to navigate, and Peters brings this struggle to life with such a delicate blend of the present and past. Shaping potential parents while they each come to terms what it actually means to be (or not be) one. 

Also it’s FUNNY! Reese is such a cynical character and I love her so much. Especially the irony of Wim Hof. And the juvenile elephant analogy. Torrey Peters’ brain is so outstanding. 

CW: transphobia, suicide, miscarriage, accidental pregnancy, abuse, abusive relationships

Enjoyed this book but also think it ended wanly. Liminality, etc etc, but also, a “decision” of sorts, would have left more to think about