“I don’t want to disappear. I want to exist in my body, with these new possibilities. Possibilities. Perhaps that is one of the main components of life lost to lack of representation. Options erased from the imagination. Narratives indoctrinated that we spend an eternity attempting to break. The unraveling is painful, but it leads you to you.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: secret relationships, the media, mental health, and transitioning.

Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.

An interesting memoir.

As soon as I saw this was going to be released, I was immediately interested in it. There was something different about this actor that always intrigued me. The movie that introduced me to Elliot Page (Ellen Page, at the time) was Juno. It was such a weird movie, but it had its charm and I liked it for what it was. So when I found out he transitioned and wrote a book talking about it, I got very curious to see what it was all about and I quickly added it to my TBR.

I listened to this book in the audiobook format, narrated by the author. He talks in a deep, monotone voice, and I can see some people not loving that. I personally was okay with it, but keep that in mind if you decide to listen to the book instead of reading it because you can catch yourself closing your eyes from time to time.

I have a few conflicting feelings about this memoir. On the one hand, we get a glimpse of what his life was like, the changes he went through, and his struggles with mental illness. But on the other side, I kind of wish the focus of the book was on him instead of focusing so much on his romantic relationships. It seemed at times, the focus was just saying “I dated this famous person and this happened”, then “I also dated that famous person”. I understand it’s part of his story, but I wish the focus was mostly on him.

The writing was overall okay, but I have only one thing that I need to mention. If the book followed a timeline it would be easier to enjoy. This book is all over the place, and it’s difficult for the reader to not get lost when you’re constantly going back in forth. There were so many random small stories added that you keep thinking “Why did they add this?”. That made it difficult to enjoy, personally.

At the end of the day, I appreciate Elliot speaking his truth and sharing his experience with transitioning, dealing with the media, and discovering himself. Compared to other memoirs, it wasn’t great – but it was still okay.