I hope the author will forgive me for using the descriptor "competent" here to describe "The Brilliant Death," but it's almost a shame that this book came out when it did--right in the midst of a fantastically dense wave of diverse works of #OwnVoices young adult literature. It is perhaps forgivable, knowing as I do that it can take two years to see a book through the publication and distribution process, that the queer representation in this book is unlikely to satisfy queer readers in 2018--the public conversation surrounding the nuances and range of trans*, genderfluid, and nonbinary experiences has itself come a long way in those same two years.
Frankly? I'm delighted that Capetta tackles gender identity through shapeshifting in a fantasy world. I'm a little less delighted with the ways in which protagonist Teodora treats the first shapeshifter she meets, and the carelessness with which that character treats their own gender identity. This was prime territory for exploring gender-neutral pronouns, for exploring the multiplicity of queer selves, but it very often came off as a brute-force "switching" between the age-old male-female binary that ... well, it torqued me off sometimes. Not always, but often. Especially when a shapeshifter's "curves" = "female" and she/her pronouns while a square jaw and broader shoulders = "male" and him/her pronouns. Yeah, sure, sometimes we need our plot to move forward and not dilly-dally over pronouns, but ... sometimes we really need to take a moment and think about the fact that many trans*, genderfluid, and nonbinary readers deserve better than seeing anatomy equated with gender markers again. As an agender nonbinary person who uses alternate pronouns, I personally found myself disappointed to come so close, only to remain invisible. Some LGBTQIA+ readers may find themselves in this book, but I felt as though Capetta missed a step while feeling her way forward in a dark and empty room.
Look, I'm not going back to a world where my body is shorthand for my gender identity, where clothing and curves or lack of curves are indicative of the pronouns I use. I struggle being misgendered every single workday because I had to tick a box on my job application form and now I will only ever be seen through the lens of what parts I was born with. I needed something more from this book ... and I really felt Capetta was trying to get there. Her world was interesting, her characters complex, and I am excited to see what else she writes. I just won't be going back to this one, probably.
Frankly? I'm delighted that Capetta tackles gender identity through shapeshifting in a fantasy world. I'm a little less delighted with the ways in which protagonist Teodora treats the first shapeshifter she meets, and the carelessness with which that character treats their own gender identity. This was prime territory for exploring gender-neutral pronouns, for exploring the multiplicity of queer selves, but it very often came off as a brute-force "switching" between the age-old male-female binary that ... well, it torqued me off sometimes. Not always, but often. Especially when a shapeshifter's "curves" = "female" and she/her pronouns while a square jaw and broader shoulders = "male" and him/her pronouns. Yeah, sure, sometimes we need our plot to move forward and not dilly-dally over pronouns, but ... sometimes we really need to take a moment and think about the fact that many trans*, genderfluid, and nonbinary readers deserve better than seeing anatomy equated with gender markers again. As an agender nonbinary person who uses alternate pronouns, I personally found myself disappointed to come so close, only to remain invisible. Some LGBTQIA+ readers may find themselves in this book, but I felt as though Capetta missed a step while feeling her way forward in a dark and empty room.
Look, I'm not going back to a world where my body is shorthand for my gender identity, where clothing and curves or lack of curves are indicative of the pronouns I use. I struggle being misgendered every single workday because I had to tick a box on my job application form and now I will only ever be seen through the lens of what parts I was born with. I needed something more from this book ... and I really felt Capetta was trying to get there. Her world was interesting, her characters complex, and I am excited to see what else she writes. I just won't be going back to this one, probably.