The Hands We’re Given
Year: 2018
Author: O.E. Tearmann
Length: 350 pages
This book was not what I expected. First, the cover makes it look like it’s some kind of heist/hacker book, which it’s not. Instead, I got a military sci-fi with heavy LGBTQ+ themes. Second, even if you picked up this book for its gay/trans romance, the only reason it’s a “slow burn” is because it starts in the wrong place. Third, even within this post-apocalyptic setting, I had so many moments where things made little sense. It also didn’t help that one of the most annoying characters I’ve read maintained her annoying personality for much too long until they rectified it. Ultimately, this book was not for me.
All this being said, The Hands We’re Given is the first book I’ve read that appears to convey the struggles of a female-to-male transition somewhat accurately. Granted, I’m still confused about the main character’s sexual attraction, since it would normally be considered “straight” before their transition, but is now “gay” during/after the transition. This is likely due to my limited understanding of these issues. Still, the sex scenes were probably a bit too spicy for me anyway, regardless of the genders of those taking part in them.
Unfortunately, many other aspects of this book didn’t make logical sense. Why does the new commander have such anxiety with these “outcasts” accepting him when he already considers himself an outcast from the society they’re fighting? Why don’t these outcasts have a bigger grudge against the boyfriend who is clearly from the “genetically superior” society? Why did they always seem to be surprised by common issues like hailstorms? How is it so post-apocalyptic everywhere but in the corporate-controlled cities? In the end, I had too many questions that the book didn’t realize it was asking.
A gay/trans romance that tries to be a military sci-fi, I give The Hands We’re Given 2.0 stars out of 5.
