📚 Review: This was like a fever dream. I see why people say it was so influential in trans literature and in general - and I loved it. I think it was a great commentary on the individuality of being trans while also being existing as part of a community. This book was a joy to read, though it was definitely sad, but also had a lot of queer and trans and feminist theory. This style and writing isn’t for everyone, but I loved it and this book. It was so relevant when it was written and today, and I can’t wait to revisit it. Nevada was rough, gritty, queer, and powerful. TLDR - gender is a construct. 

Some of my favourite quotes:

"I have been trans since I was little.

There is this dumb thing where trans women feel like we all have to prove that we're totally trans as fuck and there's no doubt in our minds that we're Really, Truly Trans. It comes from the fact you have to prove that you're trans to psychologists and doctors: the burden is entirely on your own shoulders to prove that you're Really Trans in order to get any treatment at all.” 

“Six years on and it's still weird to be called Miss. Not bad, just like, oh yeah, I guess I did that. Who knows whether that part of being trans ever fades. Probably not. Or more specifically, probably not when you still have to shave, when your junk still gets in the way and makes your clothes fit wrong every morning. It probably doesn't go away until you are rich.”

“She wakes up around four thirty and feels rested. Do other people feel like this all the time? It's fucked up.”

“Because if he's being totally honest with himself, on some level James has already figured out that this girl is trans and while he hasn't processed what that means yet he is having this desperate magnetic attraction to her.

Like not even sexual. Just like, I want to be your Facebook friend or something. I need to grab you, to have you in my life. Whatever.”

“Plus the world has moved on from the narrative that says being trans is something to be avoided at all costs; it's moved on from the narrative that says the only way to be trans is to be young and tiny and pretty and into men and to transition and then disappear. There's a much better understanding of what it means to be trans now: you just are trans. The fact that your transition might not go smoothly because of the shape of your body or the shape of your family or the shape of your personality or the way that your sexuality has been shaped does not mean that therefore you can just decide not to be trans. You can't will it away. Deciding to will it away is a defense mechanism that is inevitably going to fail and you'll be back where you started: trans. Just older and more entrenched in a life that itself is not much more than a coping mechanism designed to keep you from having to be trans in the real world. If you're trans you're trans and if you're obsessed with whether you might be trans you probably are trans.” 

For those who feel dead inside and don't understand why: Read this book before you buy $400 of heroin, steal your ex's car, and drive across the country hoping to figure out why you feel so empty. Hint: you're probably transgender and dealing with the trauma of repressing it for so long. 

As a straight cis gender female I found this book really interesting. A lot of books about the trans community focus on tragedy, which is important too, but this book focuses more on the experience of being trans. She has a lot of insightful commentary on gender woven through the novel as well. I didn’t love her writing style, as it’s more a flow of thoughts rather than a structured narrative, but it kind of adds to the charm. 

Unpopular opinion: I love the way Binnie writes dialogue without speech marks. The prose flows like a train of thought, and it's just so PUNK.
Maria is a bit unlikeable at first, but I really warmed to her. I think that's because she acknowledges her demons so candidly towards the end that it kind of made me feel sad, but also hopeful for her.
It was also super interesting to see the interaction between Maria and James. It's almost like Maria was visiting her younger self as a ghost of trans-ness future, and then you realise that in reality every person can only learn from their own journey.
Overall I enjoyed the book, and I didn't find it too challenging to pick up and put down every now and again. Having read Torrey Peters' De transition, Baby last year, I can see how influential this book has been. It just didn't completely blow me away enough for a higher rating.

A charming novel. The book really shines when the MC is talking about the neuances and complexities of being a trans woman and the trans feminine experience, but it also all falls flat when Maria talks about trans men and transmasculine experiences, sometimes just plain shitting on them, sometimes just stating things that are simply factually incorrect. Now I read books where main characters have questionable views all the time, that's not my issue, but here at least to me it seems like these aren't just presented as the character's biased opinions, but as objective truth and Maria and some other characters are used as vessels for the author to lay down her own views on the page. I felt the need to point this out and critisize it especially because I've seen this book recommended a few times over the years, none of those times was this even mentioned or acknowledged in any way. I went into this book thinking I was going to read a literary novel about a trans woman and a commentary on the neuances and complexities of gender and transitioning in American society and I did get that out of it but I also got to read a book that too often shits on transmasculine people and gives matter of fact statements that are objectively and factually wrong. Only in some reviews here and on goodreads I saw these problems with the book acknowledged.

Some stuff that irked me but not too much:
 -the overuse of the word bohemian or rather describing random stuff as bohemian even if it was ironic, it was done kinda sloppily
 -with this type of character and novel there needs to be a certain degree of irony and self awareness that I felt weren't present enough

other than that the book was a mostly pleasant experience to go through

these are maybe some of the most real characters I’ve ever read. definitely up in the top 10— all of them were so different, even when they were similar; that made it such a fun journey. not to mention, imogen binnie  is great at making every bit of word salad into a beautifully plated meal. her stream-of-consciousness writing is one she dips in and out of so effortlessly, and I ate it up big time! when it’s done well, I love it, and this was done more than just well