Antiboy

A queer memoir that takes place at the messy intersection between gender and desire, challenging stereotypes and embracing the nuance of identity.

When Valentijn must undergo a mastectomy because of a gene defect, he makes the decision not to have implants and adopts an in-between gender identity that feels more natural. He shaves his head and discards his wardrobe of women’s clothes, even the perfect dress his mother was so fond of. But all of this causes friction: not only are Valentijn’s doctors stumped, but friends, family, and lovers too. His trans ex helps him feel more comfortable in his new guise--not a girl, not a boy, but an antiboy--while his boyfriend draws away from the relationship. Encircled by grief and loss, Valentijn searches for the ultimate freedom to be allowed to be himself and tries to rebuild the relationships with those around him.

A refined, poetic autobiographical essay about adopting a new and truer identity, Antiboy is poignant without ever being sentimental. Valentijn finds new emotional depth and complexity in his personal relationships, providing readers with a rich and empathetic reading experience. Antiboy goes beyond the author’s own journey, becoming a nuanced exploration of human connections amid transformation.

Valentijn Hoogenkamp is a Dutch artist who combines writing and art to explore questions of intimacy. His debut novel Adoring Louis Claus was praised in the Dutch press, and his nonfiction essay Antiboy about his coming-of-gender was first published in 2022. Michele Hutchison is a British translator of Dutch books, based in Amsterdam. She shared the 2020 International Booker Prize for The Discomfort of Evening with Lucas Rijneveld.