First wow, what a book. It was an extremely thought-provoking and very emotional read. I highly recommend this book not only to those who are transgender but to all those interested in psychology, trauma response, and gender studies. It was an amazing ride from start to finish and I had a very hard time putting it down. The character portrayals were clear and descriptive without words. The confusion running through the themes was powerful in moving the story and events forward. Overall it is a well-written well-illustrated story of trauma and healing. I hope many more people enjoy it and get as much out of it as I did.

An incredibly emotional and touching read about a trans woman and her experience with dissociative identity disorder.

I can't imagine any better format for this story than a graphic novel. Emma's drawings are minimalist and there's a lot of conversation - but her characters display a lot of emotion and context from small gestures. The story could have been confusing (it appears it was definitely a confusing thing to live though), but pieces come together for the read easily, and it's been very well crafted.

I ripped through this in two sittings (but I didn't want to put it down - so could have easily done it in one!). I was left with more empathy and understanding of DID - which I really didn't have much knowledge of before. It was also fascinating to see in such detail the process of working with a therapist (and what a difference a better one can make).

First and foremost, the courage it took for Emma Grove to publish this memoir is astonishing. The Third Person is not an easy read and as Emma states in the Author’s Note at the beginning, the dialogue has not been invented for point of view, only edited for length when repetition was involved. That said, the line drawn depictions of the different characters are a substantial component of the reader’s experience so take your time when reading the text to also look closely at the facial and body expressions. During the course of the story each layer is slowly peeled away like those in an onion to unravel the trauma underneath that has caused the three people we see appear on the therapist’s couch: Ed, Emma and Katina, who have come seeking approval to begin the process of transitioning to a woman permanently. The Third Person is not to be missed and Emma Grove, I truly hope the process of writing and drawing this story has brought you some peace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Drawn & Quarterly for providing an advanced copy for an honest and unbiased review.