I love the mixture of personalities, images, and Vee's attempts at figuring out life that create confusion in this story. It seems that is the purpose of the story--or, better said, a glimpse at the uncertainty in our life choices of gender that go beyond our record of birth. The use of two young people who would naturally question their choices and circumstances to express the pain of the moments as they come to them is a brilliant stroke. The portrait painted forces me to search my heart for the same value Vee sought out.
Lorenzo Porricelli replied on Mon, 02/18/2013 - 11:44pm
The magnifying glass quality of this sexual orientation-love-gender identity narrative is magnificent. There is a psychological complexity and layering that never quits, though the storyline remains straightforward and deeply moving. Quite amazing. Glad to be introduced to this author. I'll be searching for her other work.
Susan Isa Efros replied on Sun, 03/24/2013 - 05:27pm
Great story! I couldn't stop reading. And I found that I deeply cared for all of the characters, who are depicted with depth and genuineness. Just before reading this story, I had dropped my daughter off at daycamp with a friend who, at four years old, has decided that he is female, despite being born in a boy's body. His parents seem fine with him wearing pink dresses. He is also mixed race, incidentally.
Grant's story captures the complexity of balancing respect for what is deeply specific to a person—the intrinsic "Maxness"—with the challenges and details of expressing ourselves in the outer world. Lovely!
Rachel Webster replied on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 08:56am
I love the mixture of personalities, images, and Vee's attempts at figuring out life that create confusion in this story. It seems that is the purpose of the story--or, better said, a glimpse at the uncertainty in our life choices of gender that go beyond our record of birth. The use of two young people who would naturally question their choices and circumstances to express the pain of the moments as they come to them is a brilliant stroke. The portrait painted forces me to search my heart for the same value Vee sought out.
The magnifying glass quality of this sexual orientation-love-gender identity narrative is magnificent. There is a psychological complexity and layering that never quits, though the storyline remains straightforward and deeply moving. Quite amazing. Glad to be introduced to this author. I'll be searching for her other work.
Great story! I couldn't stop reading. And I found that I deeply cared for all of the characters, who are depicted with depth and genuineness. Just before reading this story, I had dropped my daughter off at daycamp with a friend who, at four years old, has decided that he is female, despite being born in a boy's body. His parents seem fine with him wearing pink dresses. He is also mixed race, incidentally.
Grant's story captures the complexity of balancing respect for what is deeply specific to a person—the intrinsic "Maxness"—with the challenges and details of expressing ourselves in the outer world. Lovely!