This was an emotional, poignant story about loneliness, the struggle for human connection, and two trans characters' unexpected familial relationship. Maria is harsh and cold at times, but hopefully and kind at others and I really liked her as a character - she felt real and true in a way that not every author manages to capture, but Binnie does it brilliantly. I loved her impromptu road trip and unexpected friendship with James, and I kept thinking about this book long after I'd finished reading it.

NEVADA is a coming-of-age story that has such a cult following, and I had no idea that it had been previously published ten years ago. The audiobook format was well paced, and follows a trans woman named Maria who starts a relationship with a lesbian named Steph. The author offered insight into the vulnerability of what it is to be a trans woman, and I really learned a lot from this story.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I can’t sum the book up better than the blurb, so I will share it here: “Maria Griffiths is almost thirty and works at a used bookstore in New York City while trying to stay true to her punk values. She's in love with her bike but not with her girlfriend, Steph. She takes random pills and drinks more than is good for her, but doesn't inject anything except, when she remembers, estrogen, because she's trans. Everything is mostly fine until Maria and Steph break up, sending Maria into a tailspin, and then onto a cross-country trek in the car she steals from Steph. She ends up in the backwater town of Star City, Nevada, where she meets James, who is probably but not certainly trans, and who reminds Maria of her younger self. As Maria finds herself in the awkward position of trans role model, she realizes that she could become James's savior—or his downfall.”

This story was a stream-of-consciousness novel, where we frequently jumped back and forth between what Maria was thinking and what was actually happening. I like that the book is an #OwnVoices story. However, the characters were just not likeable, and that makes it hard for me to enjoy the story. I also would have liked some closure on the story; it seemed just to stop in the middle of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

the review train keeps coming, and i’m excited to chat about imogen’s cult classic ’nevada’ that was recently rereleased with a new afterward from the author. the story follows maria, a soon-to-be 30-year-old bookseller living in new york. trying to stay true to her punk values, she takes random pills, drinks more than she should, bikes all over the city to avoid transit fares (girl after my own heart), and when she remembers, takes her estrogen. when maria and her girlfriend steph break up, maria up and leaves new york, stealing steph’s car and heading to star city, nevada, where she meets james, a person she sees as a younger, closeted version of herself. suddenly, she sees herself as james’ trans role model, for better or for worse.

i had honestly never heard of this book before it was rereleased, but i’m so glad this one fell into my hands. this book is a landmark in trans literature, and hearing binnie’s thoughts on how the book has evolved since it was first published was really unique, as the author addressed a lot of the critiques the book initially received. maria as a protagonist was really fun to read, as her self-awareness was so spot-on that it made for some hilarious commentary & truly honest observations. i think this book would pair well with torey peters’ ‘detransition, baby’ in that there are some parallels between maria and reese that could be drawn, without conflating the two characters. this book is not one to be missed.

I am so thankful for books like this one that push boundaries and educate readers about trans people.

Nevada starts out putting the reader directly in the mindset of a trans-woman as she navigates life, relationships, and all the ups and downs associated with it.

While I loved the first half of this novel, the point of view changes in the second half and I was not as interested.

Overall, I enjoyed this heartfelt read. I just wish the two parts matched up better.

To say I've always been aware of Nevada would be a minimization. To say that it's been on my TBR for a while would be an understatement. To say I'm excited that my first read of this book was the audiobook read by the author with a the new afterword just isn't enough to encompass how much I've been looking forward to this book!

Many of us in the trans community know Nevada as THE piece of trans fiction. If you came out in the late nineties to aughts, it's basically required reading. I didn't come out then, hell I hadn't even thought of being trans at that time, but from the moment I became aware of trans fiction this book has been on my radar. And now I understand why it's so well-received.

Nevada follows 29 year old trans woman Maria; she's messy, self-absorbed, and complicated and even though she has this whole trans thing figured out, she's realizing that she actually has no idea what she wants in life. She's spent all this time being so sure of herself because she's analyzed the hell out of her transness to the point that it's maybe the only thing she really talks about, (I mean she has a LiveJournal that other trans women read ffs) so clearly it's time for a hot mess tailspin. Along the way, she meets James. James is 20, also complicated, and reminds Maria of her younger self.

It's fucking fantastic dude. Casual yet introspective, Nevada is about knowing nothing even when you know everything. I would literally hate to know Maria irl but you can tell Binnie knows Maria kind of sucks. And James is hard to comment on, but you see the most growth from them despite it feeling like Maria takes over most of the book.

Regarding the new afterword, I loved it. While the ending of Nevada is abrupt, the afterword softens and smooths it out. The way Binnie pulls everything together is excellent and helps to close the circle of, wait why would she leave us there. Loved it. I rarely care about things like afterwords, but this one truly improved my reading experience.

Nevada isn't perfect, but it is a wild ride I couldn't put down worthy of its cult following. I'd recommend Nevada to fans of authors Casey Plett and Torrey Peters or fans of queer literary fiction in general.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm still deciding what I think of this book. It's been a few days since I finished, and I have some conflicting opinions. On the one hand, it's not particularly well-written, nor does it have a plot that really *goes* anywhere, aside from New York City to Nevada, for reasons which are still kind of unclear.

On the other hand, I fully recognize that it's an important book: I can't remember a story that had a trans character front and center, let alone one that was so *about* trans-ness. But Maria, the trans-feminine protagonist, is SO up her own ass. She talks a lot about putting everyone before herself in her life, but she makes up for that by then putting herself ahead of everyone else, to the point that she then steals her ex-girlfriend's car to go on a jaunt to the Bay Area, stopping in a one-horse (or in this case, one-WalMart) town in Nevada and meeting a boy there who she is convinced is trans, even if he doesn't agree.

Let's talk about the writing: Imogen Binnie should have "like" and "whatever" and "who knows" stricken from all of her books for all time, in my opinion. Your opinion may differ. It drove me nuts. What made it worse was that every character used these expressions; this was not a way to provide verisimilitude for one character. This was everyone's inner monologue (and outer monologue, for that matter). She dances around some interesting ideas, and then, perhaps, doesn't know how or doesn't care to finish the thought, so ends it with "whatever" or "who knows." It's lazy. Apart from that, the writing isn't bad. The ideas are interesting. There are tidbits about being trans-feminine that I found fascinating, and that kind of fulfilled the promise of this book when I first read the back cover a year or two ago. I also enjoyed the two perspectives, such as they were. I appreciate that Binnie chops the book into two halves and then concentrates each half on a different character (even if these character studies feel very much like two halves of one person, which may be intentional?).

What I didn't love: the abrupt end. The casual heroin use (is heroin now a recreational drug, for real?). SO MUCH weed smoking that I started to worry for everyone's lungs. The plot kiiiind of going nowhere. Again, I think it was supposed to be a snippet of life more than anything, but it didn't totally work for me. No real arc to the plot, and interspersed with (sort of?) character studies, or at least semi-interesting characters that I wanted to know more about, but it's almost as if Binnie herself doesn't understand them, so we don't go further.

I'll close with the fact that I'm certain this book helped a lot of people and probably even saved some lives. It absolutely helps trans people feel seen, and maybe even heralded an awakening (much like Maria was trying to do for James H. before she got bored) for questioning folks. It's clearly an important book on a number of levels; I just wish it were a little bit better.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

I didn't realize that this was a reissue of a nearly 10-year old novel. It was very interesting to me, and the author does a fantastic job narrating. She obviously knows just how she wants her characters to sound and portrays them perfectly. If you're looking to broaden your listening with a LGBTQIA+ classic, check out this audiobook!

First, I must say that this book was interesting due to all the information about the LGBTQA society. As a straight woman I find it interesting how others feel and come to their conclusions. Having said that I was greatly disappointed in how it was written and narrated. It seemed disjointed and abrupt. The long monologues lost me a few times. For such a contravirtual subject a friendlier presentation would help., in my opinion.

Wow! NEVADA by Imogen Bonnie is a spectacular novel! It’s about Maria, a trans woman living in New York, who takes a road trip and meets James. I loved the writing style!! So fluid and completely matched the characters. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author and such a joy to listen to! Imogen did an excellent job narrating. I was enraptured with these characters and this story. Yes, Maria is a mess but so good hearted that made me want to be her friend. It was also really cool to be transported back in time. This novel was originally published in 2013. I loved the new afterword in this new edition that gives insight into the author’s references. I just loved this book so much!! I hope Maria and James found happiness. Definitely one of my fave reads of 2022 so far! So glad I got to read it now. Whatever.
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Thank you to Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

“But still, Maria is like, I’m supposed to have some kind of insight? Here is my insight: gender is stupid and annoying and I don’t want to talk about it any more ever.”

NEVADA is a brilliant, darkly funny story about being trans, self-knowledge, and relationships, with a side of good old-fashioned American road trip. Since it was first published almost ten years ago, this novel has been hailed as a pivotal moment in modern trans literature, and I can see why. The plot is minimal, in the best way: Maria, a trans woman in her late twenties in NYC spends her days working at a bookshop, blogging, biking around town, and drinking a bit too much. After she breaks up with her girlfriend and gets fired, she decides to take a road trip to the west coast to figure her shit out. In Star City, Nevada, a small town that is basically a Wal-Mart and nothing else, James is struggling to figure out what his desire to dress as and perhaps become a woman mean about him. They meet at random, immediately read each other as trans, and Maria decides that part of her own healing might be becoming a trans role model for James.

Maria is one of my new favorite protagonists. She’s a disaster, self-aware enough to know it and to even know what she might start doing about it, but has mostly just been coasting (or more generously, surviving) so far. I loved her wannabe punk energy that is simultaneously earnest and already jaded. James is compelling too, struggling to figure out what his secret wants mean about him but mostly just getting high all the time. It’s an inwardly-focused story, mostly internal monologues from both of the characters, which just completely works with Binnie’s smart, flippant style; she describes really nuanced emotions and experiences so clearly, without pretension. I really liked Maria and James’ interactions, the magnetism and opposition, the clash between Maria’s trans wisdom and James’ fear of what her revelations might do to his life. Also, the parallels in their relationships are so striking, the ways that suppressing themselves has made it hard for them to be present and truly connect with their partners. The terrifying reality of vulnerability, of being known, was entirely too relatable. The second half did feel short to me, but reading the author’s afterword helped me understand the abrupt ending. This novel was originally drafted in 2008 and published in 2013 and captures a very particular era of queerness and early internet and more; it was a treasure to read it and the author’s description of the context it came from. Also, the audiobook is read by the author and it’s fantastic.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux & Macmillan Audio for the review copies! This new edition is out 6/7.

One more quote for the road: “Eventually you can’t help but figure out that, while gender is a construct, so is a traffic light, and if you ignore either of them, you get hit by cars. Which, also, are constructs.”

Content warnings: gender dysphoria, transphobia, deadnaming, suicidal ideation

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Nevada by Imogen Binnie.

I honestly don't know where to start with this one, or how to review it. I have very strong opposing opinions about it.

Here's what I liked. This story is about a trans woman named Maria, and begins with her relationship with Steph, a lesbian. The book starts with Maria sharing some of her inner struggle connecting with her body, her relationship, her life in general. She's unhappy, she's discontent, she needs to escape her life. I appreciated a lot the author's willingness to dive into the deep complexities of being trans. That nothing is ever cut and dry, and that sexuality and gender identity is fluid and impossible to put into clean boxes. I thought that a lot of vulnerability and insight was shared, and I learned a lot.

Having said that, I did not like the characters. But that had to be by design right? Just because you're trans doesn't mean that you owe anyone likeability. Plus, I imagine being trapped in the wrong body would make anyone deeply unhappy. Yet, I just could not get okay with how selfish, cutting, and dismissive these characters were to each other. No thank you. And Maria's constant self sabotage and and disregard for the people in her life drove me nuts. I couldn't stand it.

Lots of great teaching, not my favorite story.

such a clear inner monologue in a way that i can't really think of an example as strong in recent semi-fiction. love love the great antiamerican road novel, love to love to hate some of binnie's characters' choices, love to feel very deeply how it is to have a million things that feel like they connect but you can't talk them out so instead you shut down. love!

the audio adaptation also suits the book's style incredibly well — perfectly paced, only adds to the sense of thoughts bouncing around frenetically.

A very unusual read for me. I enjoy almost anything LGBTQ+ but this was a bit outlandish. I mean, it’s completely possible that this could be someone’s personal experience/story, but how unfortunate. It really doesn’t paint the lives of trans folx very positively. Maybe that’s the point? I dunno.

I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone, especially trans individuals. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that this is what their lives are destined to be like.

(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you.)

Nevada is quintessential trans literature, and has been on my TBR for years, I couldn't be more happy to have finally gotten around to reading it.

The recent rise in publications of trans literature seems to be mostly focused on transmasculine lit, so despite this being an older book, it was a refreshing change of pace to read a story about trans women. I especially loved the contrast of Maria, our main character for the first half of the book, who is well into her transition, and James, a closeted trans woman who is still discovering themselves and is our protagonist for the second half of the book.

This was a very real and raw exploration of gender identity, without being gatekeepy in any way. These characters were allowed to be messy and imperfect, fuck up and make mistakes, and were never painted as bad or evil because of it. Imogen Binnie also absolutely nailed the narration, her afterword making the book somehow even more powerful.

As someone who is cisgender, I can’t fully know or understand how it feels to be a transgender person, but I found this book to be enlightening. It’s not my favorite book, and I didn’t always like all of the characters, but I think I got something really valuable from my experience listening to the audiobook. If that interests you - and it should -, absolutely go ahead and read this.

The second half of this book was much stronger and made up for the first half imo. My biggest critique in the first half is that Maria just felt absolutely insufferable and pretentious but the story was intriguing.

4 stars

I've known of this book for a long time, and I'm so glad I had the chance to listen to this audio version - narrated by the author - which includes an updated afterword.

Maria's emotional journey happens while she's on a fairly mundane literal one across the country in a sort of stolen car, and while her own musings are intriguing, her encounters with James, whom she sees as having many similarities to her younger self, are where this novel gets most interesting. I can't speak to the mirroring impact that I might experience if I were a reader who were also trans, but as a person constantly and thankfully surrounded by trans people and who intentionally reads a fair amount of relevant content, I can imagine that this has been a meaningful read for many. The thought of having access to a book like this around the time of its original publication is pretty incredible, especially since all of these years later, there are still far too few works featuring trans characters who are just living their lives.

Come for the story and stay for the author's note. In some ways, getting to hear that made me almost glad that I took so long to finally read this one: worth the wait.