Pageboy - Elliot Page

 

“In our society anger and masculinity are so intertwined—I hope to redefine that in my own life.”

 💚💚💚💚 4 out of 5 hearts!

I would never dream of telling a trans person how they should or should not tell their story. However, I will say that the first few chapters of this had me worried. In providing the geographical context to where he was born and grew up, I felt a little bit like I was getting a local history lesson from Elliot and not reading a personal anecdote. I was fully prepared to sit through a book of Nova Scotian tales with a light spattering of Elliot's upbringing.

In saying that, this ended up being just as I stated above...context. And once the scene had been set Elliot told one of the most honest stories I've ever read. At no point did I feel as though I was receiving a watered down version of events or that the book was edited to remove all the embarrassing bits. (Not many people would admit to being called 'skid marks' growing up). It brought me as close to understanding as a cisgendered woman can ever get.

If you're looking to read about Elliot's film roles, you've got the wrong book. But if you're looking for a heartfelt story of queerness, masculinity and identity.. this could be the one for you.

N.B: A trigger warning is required for this one. Elliot discusses a number of difficult themes including dysphoria, depression and eating disorders. Sit this one out if you think any of this might be distressing to you.