Luna

Personal Response

Luna was a wonderful book that did an amazing job conveying the struggles that a transgender person would be faced with. It evoked so much empathy and emotion that I found myself torn deciding whose perspective to take. I found myself identifying with Regan more and trying to imagine having such tireless dedication to another person. She had a huge secret that she had to keep completely to herself and it continually impeded her life. She gave so much of herself to protect her brother. Peters repeatedly wove situations into the plot that forced Regan to constantly live and breathe the life she was trying to escape. For example, she had to pass on a date with Chris, so she could take Luna shopping. I thought that the perfect example of this was when Regan and Chris met by the costume room and after entering the room he put on a wig. He thought he was being humorous, but Regan had to flee the scene. It is the last straw.

Initially, I thought that Liam was very demanding and self-absorbed. I felt that he expected Regan to be there for him at every moment, and he didn’t spend any time understanding or asking about her life. However, I found myself understanding that this self-absorption was because he was living an alternate life that he wanted to escape, and it was all he could think about.

The entire family situation saddened me. They were not living the lives they wanted to live. As Regan states, “I don’t think the American dream quite lived up to their expectations.” Their father had definite gender expectation that he tried to uphold. Whether they were expectations of sports, household roles, etc., it was clearly exemplified throughout the book. An example that stood out to me was in the beginning of the book when Patrice didn’t have time to cook dinner, and she asked Regan to be responsible for dinner. Peters used this scene as an opportunity to solidify the reality of the gender expectations in their lives. This theme continued throughout the book.

“Pretty. A word for girls. The way handsome described boys. Liam was right; people did use boy and girl language. They expected different behaviors. When kids acted “out of role,” as Liam put it, they were labeled tomboys or sissies.”

“The way people viewed Liam, as a boy, meant that he had to play to their expectations. Dress the part. Act the role. And Liam was good at it, expert.”

Both of these quotes prove and state that as a society we have gender expectations that are nearly impossible to break through. Peters showed us how damaging that can be and allowed us to empathize with Liam as he struggled to become Luna.

When Liam finally revealed Luna to the family, I was shocked to see how her mother reacted. Patrice was characterized as breaking through the gender role. She was constantly pre-occupied with her career and almost absent in their home. Throughout the book, she was portrayed as an unstable character that was always “popping pills.” I initially thought that she just didn’t have time to deal with this reality, but her behavior became clearer after it was revealed that she had known Liam’s secret for years and was possibly helping him by “not noticing” her estrogen pills were missing.

Critical Response

The theme of self-identity is revealed through the character development in Luna. Each character was looking for something that they didn’t have. Dad wanted a “true” son, Mom wanted a riveting career, Alyson wanted her lifelong love - Liam, Liam wanted to transform into Luna, and Regan wanted to be her own person free of her brother. The parallel plots of Liam and Regan in conjunction with Regan and Chris provided a good balance. I thought that Peters successfully portrayed how Regan’s life was totally intertwined with Liam’s life since every time Regan had the opportunity to be with Chris Liam needed something, which took priority. Her loyalty to Liam ran deep.

The flashbacks that Peters used to introduce the reader to events in the past were helpful in completing the plot. They allowed the reader to understand pieces of the past that led up to events in the future. They showed that there were signs throughout Liam’s childhood that everyone chose to ignore even though they seemed obvious. Peters provided smooth transitions between the text and the flashbacks. For example,

“There was that time at the mall with Mom. She was looking for purses. Liam was, too. He loops a purse over his arm, copying Mom.”

Additionally, the pronoun transitions added a lot to the book. When Liam transitioned into Luna, Peters immediately switched the pronouns from “he” to “she.” This was very effective since it wasn’t only during a physical transition; it was every time Luna slightly revealed herself. This helped the reader grasp the emotion that was felt by Liam.

The language that was used throughout Luna added to the beauty and emotion of the book. There were several examples, but this one stood out as an example that conveyed the trauma that Liam experienced daily by comparing his life to that of a butterfly that reverts into its cocoon every day – like Luna had to revert herself into the “role” of Liam everyday.

“Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, I thought. An exquisite and delicate creature, unfolding her wings and flying away. Except in Luna’s case, the butterfly is forced to rein in her wings and reinsert herself into the cocoon every day. Every single day, she has to become this shell of a person.”

As Regan continued to carry the burden of Liam’s secret life, she expressed relief in the last lines of the book as Liam left in search of a permanent transition into Luna,

“I felt it land, a brush of butterfly wings against my cheek. It lifted me up, away. All at once the weight of the world dissolved and I felt myself expand, grow. The same way Luna must feel to be free, I realized. She’s freed us both.”

“Good-bye, Liam,”
“Hello, Regan.”

It is in these words that Peters frees them both and allows them each to pursue their dreams.