Torrey Peters’s DETRANSITION, BABY is a novel that everyone needs to be reading and talking about! It is a provocative, raw, and wholly original exploration of gender, sexuality, motherhood, and the expanding definition of family. Witty and sexy as well as emotional and vulnerable; DETRANSITION, BABY is unlike any other book out there! Trust me, you need to read it!

Set in New York City, the story focuses on three people whose lives entangle around an unplanned pregnancy. Reese, a trans woman who has always longed to be a mother, was formerly in a relationship with Amy, another trans woman. But their relationship ended when Amy chose to detransition – return to the gender assigned at birth after living as the other gender. Now living as Ames, he is in a relationship with Katrina, a cis-woman, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant. The novel jumps back and forth between Reese and Amy’s past relationship and the present day as the three characters explore the best plan for the pregnancy.

DETRANSITION, BABY is a book only a trans woman could write. Peters lays bare the deep emotions, fears, and desires of the trans femme characters and expertly navigates around the hot button issue of detransitioning. Ames’s detransition is discussed in a nuanced and honest manner, making sure there is nothing stereotypical or inauthentic about how Ames is represented. Y’all know me, I’m into character-based books and this book has some of the most interesting and complicated characters I’ve read in a long time!

I guarantee that DETRANSITION, BABY will make people uncomfortable, which is a great thing! It pushes against societal norms forcing the reader to reevaluate their understanding of parenting, family, gender, and sexuality. It provides a view into the trans femme experience that is not written like a “how-to-guide” for cis-gendered readers. In fact, it feels like this was written for trans folks and that as a cis person I am lucky to be reading it! And it does all this while being so funny and so hot and so heart wrenching and just so good! READ IT!

** One World provided the book for honest review

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• Title: Detransition, Baby
• Author: Torrey Peters
• Published: January 12, 2021 (One World)
• Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, LGBT, Own Voice
• Booky Nooky Rating: * * * * *