Reviews

The first surprise was the simple existence of transgender fiction in the mid-1960s; the second, the relevance of so much of what is written. The mental journey of Wendy to self-actualisation takes in the physical and sensual pleasure of wearing women's clothes; the fears of others' perceptions; and questions on where to live, how to work, and the scope for transformative surgery. The word 'transgender' itself is potentially anachronistic as the tern is only used as a term on the new edition's cover. So too, Wendy does not overtly speak of self-actualisation, but the mental processes and habitual adaptations are likely to be familiar to many LGBT+ readers.

Inevitably, not everything has dated so well. The representations of women and men offer stark gender stereotypes of northern Britain. So too, pre-legalisation disgust at homosexuality indicates how 'LGBT+' as an umbrella term may have been unrecognisable for the separate underground movements at the time, as each struggled for social legitimacy. I didn't take offence, however, not least because the sharp bursts of self-defensive homophobia felt realistic depictions of how trans women might have sought to deliniate a more contemporaneously acceptable niche for themselves in the precarious identity politics of the times.

Fascinating enough, stilted in parts of its dialogue, typically bleak in places, and still worth a read for Pride Month (or better still LGBT History Month). I'd recommend pairing with 'Detransition, Baby' by Torrey Peters (or similar) for a more self-assertive 21stC take on the issues. Read the latter second, and while you'll see lots of parallels, you'll also see how far we've come.

felicity's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

emmareads97's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tildafin16's review

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4.0

Fascinating and at time devastating book written in the mid sixties about a trans woman from a small working class traditional community, trying to become who she wants to be. The story begins with Wendy (then known as Roy) in a psychiatric hospital because she has stolen women’s underwear from a washing line, and moves on through her journey over the following year. Written with some dry humour at times but also quite harrowing.

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