Detransition, Baby

A Novel

By: Torrey Peters

Narrated by: Renata Friedman

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The lives of three women—transgender and cisgender—collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires in “one of the most celebrated novels of the year” (Time)

“Reading this novel is like holding a live wire in your hand.”—Vulture

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by more than twenty publications, including The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Time, Vogue, Esquire, Vulture, and Autostraddle

PEN/Hemingway Award Winner • Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Gotham Book Prize • Longlisted for The Women’s Prize • Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club Pick • New York Times Editors’ Choice

Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.

Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?

This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel.

©2021 Torrey Peters (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Detransition, Baby is so good I want to scream.” (Carmen Maria Machado)

“This book is exhilaratingly good.” (Jia Tolentino)

“An unforgettable portrait of three women, trans and cis, who wrestle with questions of motherhood and family making. ... Detransition, Baby might destroy your book club, but in a good way.” (Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl)

Innovative trans narrative, sans transsexual spectacle

This was such a breath of fresh air - the characters felt real to the Brooklyn queer scene and also, to my actual friends. Peters really highlighted complicated topics, feelings of worth, HIV stigma and social scene dynamics in accessible ways. Every character feels like a composite of someone I know or miss, I teared up at the nostalgia. My only request would have been for the author to read the Audible version.

Loved this book!

This book was beautifully written and gave me so much perspective. I really thought about things I’d never thought of before, and I grew so attached to the characters and the story. The audiobook performance was also stellar! Would recommend.

Laugh out loud deep reflection

I want to have drinks with Torrey Peters. The observations and language are spot-on. This book made me reflect in fresh ways on womanhood, gender, motherhood, relationships, men, politics, gay friends, and my own history when I wasn’t just laughing and getting wrapped up in the characters. There are a couple of gaps in the story for me —- would Katrina really be so quick to consider this? and especially with Reese more due to her than her transness — but I was willing to accept it for the power of the whole. Excited to read more from Peters.

RUN TO and WITH THIS BOOK

Torrey Peters brings us beyond the horizon back to the very center of our desire for what it is that is beyond yet rooted (and damp) within us. Total brilliance. Get it - rate it high and take yourself on a (brave and familiar) ride. It is fun and funny, right where it hurts. Loved this!

Eye Opening, Important

Detransition Baby is a very important piece of fiction. It's a story that won't reside well with many, but it's timely and intimate, Transgender people are finally getting a taste of equal rights over the past decade but few people who aren't part of the LGBT community don't have much understanding of the struggle transgender people face. Detransition, Baby is the story of a man, who was previously transgender, but decided to stop with the hormone therapy and live life as a visual male. After becoming involved with a woman, she falls pregnant. The story bounces back and forth from past to present, and we are introduced to several characters our main character has met along his (her) journey as a transgender person, and through detransition. The characters are the star in this tale, but the prose give the reader/listener a good history about the struggles transgender people face, and the trials and tribulations of years of discrimination and just not fitting in anywhere.

-Wendi

Amazing, mesmerizing, and authentic

I love the two main characters of this book: both have struggled through male to female gender transition, one has gone back to presenting male and neither are speaking to each other at the start of the book. Their queerness is the backdrop for a highly readable (and surprisingly relatable) meditation on the meaning of family, stability, sexuality, and humanity.

Incredible!

One of the best novels I’ve read in quite some time. Can’t wait to read what Torrey Peters writes next!

I Loved This Book & Learned A Lot From It!

This book was so eye-opening and educational. I got a little confused with the use of pronouns and who was who with the names but it just meant paying more attention. I was so engrossed that I didn't realize that it was ending so I wasn't ready and I needed more...

What was the ending

It was a good book but the ending was not a vibe! Kind of made me feel like the rest of the book wasn’t worth it.

Original and wildly interesting.

The author didn't hold back and I love that. The flawed but likable characters were developed amazingly. I had to finish their story, which was heartwarming and heartbreaking at different times.

It was a bit long, as were the chapters, so it took me a while to get through, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I ended up going between audio and ebook and that helped! I hope this author releases more.