Trans-Sister Radio

I read this book in follow-up to Midwives. Bohjalian's writing impressed me so much with the first book that I was interested to see how he could handle this subject. I was drawn in easily with Chapter One! The subject of transgender dysphoria was one I was faintly familiar with in my professional career, and I thought it was handled with honesty, clarity and an obviously thoroughly researched insight. What was so novel for me in this plot was Dana's lingering attraction to a woman - a contradiction to the so often stereotyped view that transsexual males are always gay. I think the love story between Dana and Allison was the element which forced me to ponder gender roles and how much of that is forced upon us by nature vs. society. It's an interesting dilemma from a female perspective when one considers how much same-sex companionship is valued, yet crossing the boundaries into romantic love remains largely taboo. This book challenges the reader to consider all relationships from a purely individual perspective rather than one that is gender-based. In many ways it is simply the tragic love story re-told in a highly thought-provoking manner.

Once again Chris Bohjalian has been able to write a compelling, disturbing and heartwarming novel - from a unique point of view - and has taken what could have become a tawdry subject and written a beautiful, intriguing novel.Trans-sister Radio is a novel in five parts - as it is told from four points of view and it also uses excerpts of an NPR radio interview. Like the other novels by Bohjalian that I have read - this novel takes place in a small town in Vermont - which makes the topic that much more interesting . Dana Stevens, a college professor meets and falls in love with Allie - the divorced mother of Carly - who is about to leave for college. The romance is going smoothly for both Dana and Allie until he tells her that he is planning on having a sex change at the end of the summer. This is the story of Dana and Allie's relationship - from falling in love through Dana's operation and how they handle the small mindedness of their neighbors as well as how Allie's ex-husband Will, who is still in love with Allie, and her daughter Carly deal with the situation.To say that this is an unusual book with a unique topic is an understatement but the reader will find much to enjoy in Trans-Sister Radio. Chris allows each character to develop individually as well as through each of the other characters experiences. As we can "hear" each person's thoughts as well as see how their actions (or in-actions in some cases) effect one another. I can't say enough about this book - I could not put it down. While the topic may seem hard to swallow - it is well worth reading, whether you would agree or disagree with Dana and Allie's choices. In a lesser author's hands this book would not amount to much, but in Chris's deft and able hands - it is a beautiful book and a fabulous read.

What would you do if the man you loved told you he wanted to be a woman? Trans-Sister Radio asks this question, and as the answer unfolds, readers will be captivated, fascinated and torn between right and wrong and your own beliefs about sex, gender and what is really important in the one whom you fall in love.Allison Banks, divorcee and mother of 18-year-old Carly, has finally found the one. Dana Stevens, a college professor, has everything Allison has ever wished for. He's kind, sensitive and handsome. However, after a few months of blissful dating, Dana delivers the news: he is two months away from a sex change operation. What follows is a moral dilemma that rocks the tiny Vermont town in which they live. Should Allison still date Dana? As a teacher, is Allison violating the "role-model/decency" clause? Trans-Sister Radio explores these questions as well as how Dana Steven's sexuality affects those around him.Chris Bohjalian has written another winner. The writing style is wonderful and gives a birds-eye view from several characters and their thoughts about and reactions to gender dysphoria, homosexuality, and falling in love. Brilliantly told story and one that held me in rapt attention until the conclusion. A highly thought-provoking and intelligent novel.

After knocking one out of the park with Midwives, Bohjalian has both capitalized on his singular knack for topical story-telling, and one-upped himself. For this conventionally phallo-centric male...[the] surgery wasn't an easy subject, but Bohjalian earned the right to make me squirm. The cleverest thing about this novel is the way in which, by the end of its pretty speedy 300 pages, a whole lot of things that had seemed pretty far out to me suddenly seemed not so strange at all. .... These lovely people, whatever their plumbing, deserve some happiness, and Bohjalian is wise and kind enough to give it to them. This is a love story that's both moving and makes you think.

It's seldom you encounter a storyteller of Chris Bohjalian's skill and sensitivity. He demonstrated his talents with Midwives and The Law of Similars, and now he's done it again. This is a risky novel that takes mainstream characters (and readers) to the outer limits of human emotional and sexual experience, and the author makes it all entirely believable. These are people in difficult straits who retain (or regain) their sense of humanity. The book is by turns surprising, heart-rending, outrageous, and triumphant, but always utterly engaging. As in all of Bohjalian's novels, his charaters are people you can really feel for... quirky and unique and unforgettable. Chris Bohjalian is at the top of his form. (The cover is terrific, too!) I'm already looking forward to his next novel.