The Expression Hub

Author: Torrey Peters

Genre: Transgender Fiction

“It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.”

Laverne Cox

Well, its the final Sunday of this month and the final blog post of the Pride Month series. Maybe next year who knows will come up with more great choices. Believe me this series just opened up the horizons of mind as I got to know so much about this section of people. Though some experiences were forgetful there were some which just opened up the mind. So, I am grateful for both the experiences which were good and bad. After all they do broaden our perspectives. And shouldn’t life be all about that? Broadening one’s perspective enables us to view things in a different light and helps us to accept things easily about things which we might be averse about. Perhaps it will take some time; but we do end up accepting things. The pick of the week was a mix of disappointment and a feeling of satisfaction. But as I said I am glad I picked up this experience . The reason might be because it has enabled to broaden my perspective and helped me put the LGBTQ community in a new light in my mind. I always admired the LGBTQ community because of the Ardhanareeshwara roop of Lord Shiva which I have always believed is the perfect symbol to represent the community. Also, these people have coexisted with the others since a long time. It is just sad that these people have always had to fight a lot of battles for basic human rights.

Well, enough of my discourse on the LGBTQ community. I still have a long way to go when it comes to studying and learning about this particular section of people. Lets just focus on the pick of the week. With time, maybe my understanding will enhance more and I will be in the position to give a big discourse on it. Till then, I will just be happy to discover what the community has to offer in terms of what I love to do that is reading, watching and writing. This week’s pick revolves around three people- two women and a woman who has de transitioned into a man. How they navigate the challenge which comes before them unexpectedly . Read on to find out more.

About the book: Detransition, Baby is the debut novel which is written by Torrey Peters.It tries to explore parenthood,love and gender apart from life of a trans person. Reese is supposed to be the former partner of Amy who has de transitioned herself into man and calls himself Ames and Katrina who is half Chinese and half Jewish. Katrina is supposed to be Ame’s current lover and his boss. The book is set in Brooklyn with all the characters in their thirties. It has been years since Reese and Ames(then Amy) have parted ways. But it seems Ames(Amy) hasn’t gotten over their breakup.

At the current time, Katrina discovers that she is pregnant with Ames’ child which surprises Ames himself. The reason being he considers himself as sterile. Ames doubts whether he can father the child. So, he decides to bring his ex back into the picture as she wanted to be a mother to a child. However, Reese struggles with unhealthy relationship patterns .Katrina tries to understand but is skeptical about raising the child if she is not given the assurance of security.The three try to figure out the possibilities , the relationship they will have with each other if they decide to raise the child together. Do they support each other and will they raise the child up together ? The answers to these questions will be revealed if you read the book patiently :p. Thought would give you spoilers didn’t you ;p So, take the time out if you are curious to know the answers.

Analysis: The book tries to explore the themes of gender, parenthood, love and the trans life. It tries to create a beautiful story but the story seemed to be too vulgar. Too many obscenities makes a book unreadable and not cool.Why don’t people understand such a basic fact about writing?

The characters instead of focusing on the task seem to be too self obsessed and confused with themselves for the major part of the book. The author instead could have painted a much better picture about the experience they were facing. If I were the author, maybe I would have tried improving the character of Reese. A person who longs to be a mother and when opportunity presents her to be a mother; she instead of using the same to bring a change in herself just ruins it by indulging in an affair. How justifying it is supposed to be? Katrina, who is supposed to be a strong woman should have taken a stand for herself to bring up the child on her own especially after Ames fails to man up. That would have made Ames realize her worth and brought him to his knees. Instead she indulges in what is supposed to be an useless emotional drama of undergoing an abortion just because she does not receive a sense of security from her supposed to be lover? How empowering that is supposed to be a woman who claims to be independent. And as for Ames, if he still considered himself as a woman, then why the hell did he transition himself into a man . And if he could deal with situations clearly, he could have been the force to strengthen the bond between the three . I really wonder what was the author thinking while writing this one. I do agree that human beings are supposed to be flawed and imperfect. But they should have imperfections which enable them to grow and not create unnecessary panic and drama.

Verdict: What could have been an interesting take to read is simply a piece which you feel is just a waste of time. I was really looking forward to this one because it was supposed to be a debut novel which was supposedly written by a trans woman and was nominated for the Women’s Prize of Fiction. But this one is a piece which though a good attempt to give us insights into the transgender community just disappoints. It makes you feel as if you have committed a grave sin by actually taking out time to read this one. There might be some people who will enjoy this work but for me to make it till the end was a very big effort. How I made it till end of the book is a question worth wondering for me. But as I said earlier , I would love to treat this as an experience which gave me a good lesson. A lesson to select good books which are worth your time.

Cite Bite : She’s the type to turn hardship into hardness, like a shield for people she loves.

Rating: * only

Que: What is the profession of Reese in the book?

a. Doctor

b. Dentist

c. PR executive

d. Scientist

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Let’s create this into something wonderful.

Lots of Love,

Roshani P