by Heather
 | Rainbow Reading is our new weekly series focusing on book reviews with a geeky/sci-fi/fantasty/supernatural flair with LGBTQ characters. |
Static, by L.A. Witt, is a book about a non-traditional shifter. In this world, shifters do not shift into some type of animal, but rather shift between genders. Alex was born a male, but can shift between both forms. She spends most of her life as a female - at work and with her boyfriend. He becomes a male only when visiting his parents and occasionally around some of his friends who know he is a shifter. We learn early on his parents are fanatics and deeply bigoted toward shifters.
On Alex’s last visit to his parents, his parents drugged him, and have their preacher put in a black market implant to force Alex to remain static in the male form.
The book opens with Damon going to check on Alex. Damon and Alex have been in a two year relationship. He knows Alex was visiting her parents, and is aware that a single visit to her parents can leave her depressed for days if not weeks. Damon is surprised and jealous when a male answers her door.
On Alex’s last visit to his parents, his parents drugged him, and have their preacher put in a black market implant to force Alex to remain static in the male form.
The book opens with Damon going to check on Alex. Damon and Alex have been in a two year relationship. He knows Alex was visiting her parents, and is aware that a single visit to her parents can leave her depressed for days if not weeks. Damon is surprised and jealous when a male answers her door.
"Damon, I'm a shifter."
My heart stopped. "What?"
He swallowed, "I'm a shifter. This" - he gestured at himself with the hand that wasn't shielding his eyes - "is my male form."
Not only does Damon have to take that news in quickly, he has to get Alex to the hospital since he knows something is very wrong. Alex can barely stand, and is in tremendous pain. Damon stays with Alex through the ER visit, and the subsequent visits to doctors to discuss removing the implant. All the while, Damon can’t understand how they were in a two year relationship, and he did not know about this huge part of Alex. Damon is struggling to come to terms with a woman that he wanted to marry who is now a man. Is he in love with the person or with Alex’s gender?
| Alex is then faced with sharing everything with Damon about who he is, and why he is now stuck in this form. We get to see Alex going about his life in a male form to places where he was traditionally female such as work and the discrimination he faces. We see Alex press charges against his parents and go through a trial where he, as the victim, is also on trial. We see Alex have to make hard choices about surgery possibilities that might in his words " Leaving it in could kill me, taking it out could kill me, and living with it for the rest of my life will make me wish I was dead.” |  |
