author Torrey Peters

Turning heads with the title of her debut novel Detransition, Baby, author Torrey Peters talks to Shon Faye about representing trans people in art and the politics that come with it

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orrey peters orrey Peters’ debut novel Detransition, Baby, which was published in the UK in January, has already received widespread critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic for its narrative, characterisation and fearless themes typically unexplored in mainstream fiction.With its provocative title, the novel tells the story of Reese, a thirtysomething trans woman living in Brooklyn, New York, who is randomly contacted by her ex, Ames. Ames was once Amy, another trans woman, and Reese’s girlfriend, but after a traumatic incident Amy detransitioned and went back to living as a man named Ames. Ames has now got his cisgender boss, Katrina – with whom he’s been having an affair – pregnant, and he contacts Reese to see if she would be interested in the three of them raising the baby together.

Although it may not sound like the plot of an all-American sitcom (though Peters tells me that a TV adaptation is already in development), the book’s vivid storytelling, emotional complexity and sharp wit will undoubtedly make it a classic of LGBTQ+ fiction and one of the most notable reads of 2021.