Tony asked:

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5 years ago
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Damien Roberts I think Reese was involved in the story to juxtapose Stella's desire to pass and lie about who she is in order to ensure her safety and freedom, while Reese was almost doing the opposite. His desire to be himself even though (especially given the time) it was so dangerous to be a Black transman. Plus both had left their original lives in order to lead vastly different ones.

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Stephanie

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Lizzie Tony, I asked the same question. I get the parallels between Reese and Stella, but I felt Reese's character was so underdeveloped that it felt like he was thrown in as an afterthought. The period in which the overall novel covers from the 1950s thru the 1980s would have been very compelling to illuminate his storyline a bit more so the parallels between passing and transitioning to true self were more clear and sentimental. I feel the author missed a great opportunity by not truly giving Reese his due. Perhaps, she is lining up for a sequel centered on Reese??

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Bridget at first i was disappointed by the introduction of a transsexual character, I thought it was just pandering to hot button, current issues. But as Reese's character evolved, and as his relationship with Jude evolved I saw how his dismorphia with his body paralleled Jude's shame of her dark skin color and that became a worthy and interesting dynamic to explore.
I think Reese and Stella's choices are parallel. They both "crossed over" into another identity. They both left their family behind. The difference is Reese was honest with at least some/most of his new friends. While Stella was alone in her lie. Also Reese did not have a loving, accepting family he left behind, while Stella did. In a sense Stella lost much more by crossing over than Reese did.

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Megan Hoffman I agree with all of the answers below - re body dysmorphia, desire to be something different, hiding in own skin, etc. I also really enjoyed how the author didn't pander to a typical "transgender" story line. I liked how it was just normal, not some big revelation or surprise. Just a normal relationship, a normal boyfriend - exactly how transgender individuals and relationships SHOULD be depicted. Just normal.

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Sarah I believe the term you meant to use is transgender.

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Elizabeth My thought was to show that secrets can happen in different ways across generations.

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Andrew Garvin Reese is a thematic foil for passing. He and Barry also convey the common queer theme of found family, a compelling contrast with the various family-at-a-distance dynamics of the Vignes.

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Dale Rosenberg I felt that Reese (and also Barry) were there as a contrast with Stella. Stella develops a new identity as white because she feels it's to her advantage, and changes her life to be privileged, but loses her family by doing so. Reese changes his life to be himself, to live as the person he knows himself to be, but also loses his family in the process. Barry - who can't live openly as a gay man without losing his job - struggles to maintain two different identities: who he is and who he pretends to be.

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Lisa

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Ms M Brierley I see Reese's character as one that is about 'acceptance' no matter what your outward appearance is. It's a cliche, but it's what's inside that counts and we are allowed to understand that the relationship between Jude and Reese is unquestioned acceptance, loyalty and love. There are no questions or discussion between the two characters about either Reese's appearance, his bandages or how he doesn't want to be touched throughout the novel until the very end when we discover that the two of them are leading open lives - between the two of them anyway. This corrsesponds, obviously, with the black characters, the passing characters in the small town of Mallard and Stella. Stella is a complex character and we have to understand her behaviour and secretiveness through the prism of the time, historically, she was living in.

I enjoyed this novel and found the writer's omniciency challenging because we want 'answers' to our questions but this novelist leaves it to us, the readers, to make our own minds up. Very clever to stand outside the narrative yet write about such interesting times, situations and characters therefore bringing outrageous racism to the fore.

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