gifted by booksparks

Set against the heroin epidemic that ravaged Madrid in the 1980s, HABIT follows the coming-of-age of an unnamed girl who is trapped in a boy's body. Feeling alienated from her working-class suburb, she finds kindship within a queer community. But at every turn, she is confronted with violence and death—against her community and even herself.

HABIT is an introspective novel examining the experiences of growing up with gender dysphoria compounded with cultural misogyny. The stream-of-consciousness writing style reflects the inner psyche of our protagonist's dilemma—she can only live in her head to find liberation from her body.

I loved the exploration of gender and class and how one finds camaraderie within their queer community. While there is heartbreaking violence, small glimpses of joy and solidarity exist. I highly recommend HABIT to fans of DETRANSITION, BABY (Torrey Peters) and NEVADA (Imogen Binnie)