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yourbookishbff 's review for:
The Doctor's Discretion
by E.E. Ottoman
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
EE Ottoman delivers on a really rich setting and sense of place in a heavily plot-driven and STRESSY story that had me genuinely on edge at several points. I really appreciated the reflection on healthcare during the Yellow Fever epidemic, the strong focus on medical history (and how it intersects with anti-trans violence in horrific ways), the political intrigue, and our characters' intersectional identities and experiences. A hard-won romance between a Black, cisgender man and a white, trans man working as physicians in New York City in the 1830s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Slavery
On transphobia: this plot centers on the rescue of a trans man from a hospital (he has been arrested and given to the hospital for study - it's horrific and described on page), and centers anti-trans violence and persecution. The main characters also navigate transphobia, as our cisgender main character does not respond well to our trans main character when he comes out to him. This is resolved on page but is a conflict between main characters and navigates transphobia within the context of intimate queer relationships.