Trans-Sister Radio

A Novel

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Judith Ivey

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Four people in a small Vermont village are about to have their lives inexorably intertwined by the uncertainties of love . . . and the apparent absolutes of gender.

Schoolteacher Allison Banks, the long-divorced mother of a teenager on the cusp of college, has at last fallen in love. The object of her desire? Dana Stevens, a professor at the nearby university and her instructor for a summer film and literature course. Her daughter, Carly, watches with pleasure her mother's newfound happiness, but her ex-husband, Will, the president of Vermont Public Radio, is jealous. Still secretly in love with his ex-wife, he finds himself increasingly unsettled by the prospect of Allison's attachment to another man.

Yet Dana is unlike anyone Allison has ever been with: attentive, gentle, kind—and an exceptionally ardent lover. Moreover, it's clear that Dana cares just as deeply for Allison. The only stumbling block? Dana has known always that in actuality he is a woman—genitalia, plumbing, and perceptions be damned—and he will soon be having a sex change operation.

At first Allison runs, but overwhelmed by the depth of her passions, she returns. But can the pair's love transcend both the biologic imperatives that are their bodies, as well as their ingrained notions of sexual preference? Moreover, can their love survive the outrage of the small community in which they live?

All four characters—Allison, Dana, Carly, and Will—narrate this compelling story, spinning a tale that will keep you turning the pages with the eagerness we usually reserve for thrillers, while nodding in wonder at such a deeply moving and profoundly honest portrayal of longing, love, and desire.

©2000 Chris Bohjalian (P)2000 Random House, Inc. Random House AudioBooks, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Inspired…. [a] highly original novel…. Impossible to put down.” —USA Today

“Trans-Sister Radio…bears Bohjalian’s hallmark: ordinary people in heartbreaking circumstances behaving with grace and dignity…. Speaks directly to the heart.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Bohjalian has … written an interesting [and] ultimately, a quite daring novel, and a worthy successor to Midwives. Like that novel, Trans-Sister Radio challenges readers’ most dearly held notions of biological reality.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

Mediocre

The book is good, besides some of the outdated language they use. However, I was trying to listen to the audio while following along in the paper book and the recording skips A LOT. It even skipped a whole chapter. The accent for Will is hard to listen to and Dana who is from Florida for some reason has a southern accent

More people should read books like this.

Very well written book especially due to the sensitive and currently controversial subject matter. It will open your mind up to what it means to be accepting and what it means to be human. Doesn't overwhelm you with the science and clinical aspects of being transgender but approaches it in a straightforward way that anybody can relate to in one way or another.
The book has well developed characters that show you the story from each ones perspective and how one person and/or one decision can affect others lives in so many ways. Go in with an open mind and open heart. Hopefully you will come out the other side a bit changed if not just a little more open to the people we share this world with and the struggles we all go through.

Pretty interesting but ending seemed patchy

Would you listen to Trans-Sister Radio again? Why?

I bought this book because someone at work whose office is near mine is in the process of this transition. I was hoping this book would give me a better understanding of the issues and it did achieve that goal. The characters were pretty good and likeable, I just did not love the ending which seemed a bit sudden and implausible.

What other book might you compare Trans-Sister Radio to and why?

Middlesex - both books about topics most people know nothing about and rarely think about.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Overall the narrator did a good job

The narrator's voice...

Get accent is atrocious!! It's about Vermont people. But her nyc/jersey accent takes away from the story because it's so off!!!!

Deep, Moving, and Provocative.

I absolutely loved this book. It is authentic, deep and complicated. The latter is appropriate because the central character is male to female transsexual. Many are uncomfortable with the idea of transsexuals and see it as a choice made by the individual - a choice that is misguided and wrong; a choice that is even offensive. In this book Mr Bohjalian attacks the subject with no identifiable prejudice. He allows the character to stand for herself. He allows her to explain for herself. It is rich and hued. Dana is smart, open and fascinating.

This was my first read of a Bohjalian novel, so I don't know whether the following is normal for him, but I found the way this book was written to be interesting. The story unfolds in the third person, told by multiple characters. It gives the story depth and allows the reader to know Dana better. It gives the story legitimacy.

My guess is that if you buy this book you already have an open mind about the LGBTQ community. And, if you don't but you take a risk, that you may find yourself reconsidering your opinion. I highly recommend that you read it.

finely textured, gracefully written

I'm a longtime fan of Chris Bohjalian, and have relished all of his fiction. It's no surprise to me that this book received a quiet reception, since one of its central characters is trans-sexual -- a complicated and mis-understood phenomenon. Bohjalian doesn't shy away from exploring the full range of conflicts and questions that arise when Dana, a male professor, falls in love with Allison in the tiny town of Bartlett, VT -- and then announces that he's in the process of gender reassignment. The complexity of this relationship includes its effects on Allison, a school teacher, and the town's residents.

Allison's ex-husband, Will, and their daughter, Carly, are the other 2 characters that Bohjalian lends equal voice to as the novel shifts perspective over and over.

Judith Ivey has done a phenomenal reading: she uses slight "accents" to distiguish between the multiple characters' perspectives. She also has a knack for bringing Bohjalian's thoughtful prose to life.

Overall, this is one of the most compelling, intriguing books I've iPodded off of Audible. The timing of the story is just right, and the details and texture of its unfolding are satisfying. I didn't want it to end!

The one caution I would grant to possible listeners is that some people are sure to have trouble listening to a novel that so prominently features trans-sexuality. Personally, I enjoyed it because I have several trans-sexual friends and this book is a marvelous portrayal of the breadth of a TS character; it is never sensationalistic. You WILL learn a great deal through Bohjalian's characters, and so I encourage you to take the risk.

Couldn't turn it off.

This story is beautifully written about a subject in which I have no firsthand knowledge. I definitely develop some compassion. I Love the way the author use the NPR format and I very much enjoyed the narrator. My only peeve is that Dana is from Miami and has a heavy southern accent. Truth is Dana should either have a New York accent or a South American. Why the mother has no accent at all is also odd. Nonetheless, quite enjoyable.

Very Good Gender Bending Story

This one kept me interested from beginning to end. I would have listened to the whole book in one sitting if I could. As a straight man, it always intrigues me that some guys undergo sexual reassignment surgery, the steps they take and why they do it. I respect anybody who isn't afraid to be who they are despite all the shallow minded people in society.

Interesting premise

I wasn't crazy about the format of interviews, but the narrator did a phenomenal job of voicing the characters so that it was very easy to know who was speaking. I'm not sure when this book was written, but there were definitely things I wasn't comfortable with, one of which was the idea that the soul has a gender. With non-gender conforming folks coming out these days, I felt that was a kind of limiting idea. I was also not thrilled with the use of the word "transsexual," but that was mostly due to my own sensitivities to the words that are used. Again, interesting idea.

Thought-provoking

I was disappointed with some of the descriptions involving the relationships between Dana and others. I would not say this is the author's best book.