 The Other Womenby Pamela Hayes Trade paper 296 pages Writer's Showcase Press/2004 ISBN: 0595302505 More Information... Reviewed by Johnny Charles |
The
Independent Gay Writer
welcomes Manhattan-ite Johnny Charles as a new book reviewer. Johnny
is, himself, a writer and is currently working on his first book. I
mention this as a way of introduction for Johnny, who preferred not to
give us a bio. I also mention the fact that Johnny lives in Manhattan,
because in the course of the few months that we have been
corresponding, Johnny has been asking a lot of questions about New
Mexico. So as a kind of tip-of-the-hat to that correspondence,
following the book review, I have included some pictures of New Mexico
(the southern part) where this Irish-New Mexican lives. No...it's not
quite like Manhattan. |
| Pamela Hayes book, The
Other Women
is the story of three transsexual women dealing with the trials and
joys that they experience. While Ms. Hayes' characters are women,
and her focus is on those who have transitioned from men to women, the
issues surrounding gender identity are not only relevant for male to
female transgendered individuals, but can also be applied to those who
are female to male transgendered. The central character is Lenore, who is followed as she moves to another town in order to finalize her transition with surgery, away from co-worker’s and neighbor’s comments. She seeks out other transsexual women for friendship and support, as she begins the process of qualifying for and awaiting her sex-reassignment surgery. Her friends Jennifer Ann and Annabelle provide that support and give Ms. Hayes an opportunity to contrast Lenore’s personality and desires with her friends’. In addition, her friends’ choices to have surgery or not also show the reader the different ways a transgendered person may choose to live, and why. The issues surrounding societal prejudices and preconceived ideas, as well as their kindness are integral to the story. The women’s families are described with some members never moving beyond their inability to accept them, and others demonstrating an ability to overcome their own expectations and judgments. Ms. Hayes describes the many-layered nuances of what it means to be “stuck in the wrong body,” and the discomfort and difficulties those feelings pose to transgendered people. Above all, she describes the drive to find happiness in the face of many obstacles, both externally caused and self-created, regardless of others’ opinions. Central to the story are both Lenore’s approaching surgery, and the months following it, and her sometimes-tumultuous romantic relationship with the man she’s dating. Ms. Hayes uses the relationship to illustrate the often-difficult issues that are both unique to, and different from, many relationships and experiences that transsexuals encounter. Lenore’s love interest, Trey, goes through his own transition as he learns a deeper and more loving respect for Lenore. At times Trey’s acceptance of Lenore exceeds her own. As she comes to trust in his support, her own self-acceptance grows. For those interested in understanding the difficulties transsexual people face, and also their quest for happiness and comfort within their own bodies, this is a good window into that understanding. The three friends' committed belief that finding happiness and fulfillment is possible is the crux of this book. To find out if they realize their desires, you need to read the book. Let Johnny know what you thought of this review. He can be contacted at this email address. |
These pictures of New
Mexico are for Johnny. This is what I see every day. Or what I see when
I travel in close areas around Las Cruces. This is what I see when I step outside my "office
building." You can barely make out the observatory on top of "A"
Mountain. This small mountain is in the middle of New Mexico State
University campus. The faint trails leading to the "A" are actually
used by NMSU students each year when they repaint the A. But this
mountain is also sacred to a local Indian tribe who go up to the top
every year in a ritual. This is Griggs Street just a block or so from my house, looking east. This picture was taken in the winter time, 2003. It would be a little greener in places along the street in the summer. The picture at the bottom is of The Tres Hermanas mountains, looking west. They are located south Of Deming, New Mexico, and south of the fictitious town of Common, the setting for Common Sons. Sharon Minninger (The Blind Season) would have seen these mountains when Tom and Joel brought her across the Mexico-US border about 20 miles south of there. As you might be able to discern from the bottom picture, there are plants on the desert floor. Those are greasewood bushes. You will find coyotes, rabbits, quail, deer, and rattlesnakes in this area.  |