Bellies (2023) -Nicola Dinan
I was a bit let down midway through the book, but it is a solid read
Content Warnings: Transphobia, death, grief, eating disorder, infidelity, anxiety
Rep: trans, trans woman, mlm, wlw, trans man, Malaysian, East Asian, South Asian, OCD
Fav Quote: “Sometimes a person, an achievement or a place—whatever is missing—seems like the perfect shape to fill a void, so much so that its absence seems to be the cause of the problem and its presence the solution. But up close, the voids are always much larger.”
Bellies is a literary fiction novel that opens with Ming and Tom at the start of their relationship. The two meet at a party, each dressed in drag with differing levels of comfortability. Immediately Tom views Ming as confident and untouchable, and the two quickly begin a whirlwind romance. Tom had recently come out as gay, however, and is thrown through a loop when Ming later comes out as a trans woman, challenging the rigidity of love, attraction, and identity.
The novel does an excellent job setting up Tom and Ming’s relationship in a way that gets readers wholeheartedly rooting for the couple, but when things start to get messy, it’s difficult to say if that foundation is enough to drive readers through the discomfort. I felt disappointed by my reading experience midway through the book as the numerous seemingly solid relationship dynamics began to unravel. The events of the book are realistic and well-written but leave readers with little to grasp onto.
A strength of the novel is the shift in voice between Tom and Ming’s POV. Readers are let into the characters’ perception of themselves and how they differ from each other. Ming’s POV in particular captures the turbulent thoughts stemming from her OCD, which is brilliantly represented. This also aids readers in generating sympathy for the two characters as their views of the same events begin to clash.
The representation for this book is extremely strong. Each character’s identity is specific and well-fleshed out. There are no generalizations about what happens when half of a couple comes out as trans, how each person deals with grief, or how intersectional identities interact. Each character’s experience is entirely their own and readers are merely let into their journey. This novel is a great read, particularly for young adults who, like the characters, are beginning to find their way.