Origin Story

by Jendi Reiter

What is the Poison Cure? For Peter Edelman, it's his alter ego in the comic book he's writing, a mysterious anti-hero who seduces and kills child abusers-a storyline that's bringing up his own long-repressed memories. For his co-author Tyler "Tai" Wick, a genderfluid teen artist in the group foster home where Peter is employed, it's the social workers who will deem him fit for adoption if he will suppress his female self, which they consider a split personality from his traumatic years working the streets. And for fashion photographer Julian Selkirk, who's trying to get Peter to say "I love you," it's the Christian faith that offers to help him break intergenerational patterns of alcoholism and violence, but at the cost of rejecting his sexuality.

Against the backdrop of late-1990s New York City sexual politics, these characters strive to redefine home and family in ways that are strong enough to contain their truths. From a Miami comic-book convention to a Christian men's retreat in Georgia, from an elite New Age wellness center to a BDSM dungeon in Manhattan, Origin Story follows their quest to determine the nature of healing and the price we pay fo

Genres: Historical, Dark

388 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2024

About the author

Author of the novel "Two Natures" (Saddle Road Press, 2016), the poetry collections "Bullies in Love" (Little Red Tree, 2015), "A Talent for Sadness" (Turning Point, 2003), and several chapbooks. Award-winning short stories published in Iowa Review, Bayou, OSA Enizagam, and others. 2010 Poetry Fellowship from Massachusetts Cultural Council. Working on novel series about gay men's spiritual journeys.

Reviews

[ancientreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broke my heart in two ways -- first, as the protagonist/narrator, Peter, suffers from, begins to confront, and finally nearly dies of, his history of extreme sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence; second, by going narratively off the rails in the last third. Discussion under a spoiler cut: please note my tags, besides which what follows includes actual plot spoilers.

Throughout Origin Story, and occasionally in the previous volume, Two Natures, we've seen Peter have panic attacks, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts about the multiple rapes he experienced when he was thirteen. The perpetrators were Jonas, the owner of a comics store where Peter hung out, and some adult male friends of Jonas. At the point where Origin Story begins to fall apart as a novel, Peter attends a seder at which, seeing his mother clean a baby whose diaper is being changed, he suddenly begins to remember that she raped him in his very early childhood -- toddlerhood or even sooner. Not unreasonably, this and the sudden death, probably by suicide, of his cousin Ben, leads Peter to crash and burn. He makes a serious go at suicide, from which he's rescued at the last possible moment, and after that begins, slowly, to move toward facing his past and recovering from it.

So much has gone right in the novel up to the point of that seder. Notably, the way Peter's memories of the rapes during his adolescence keep intruding on him despite his best efforts at suppressing them comports very well with how PTSD works and even with my own experience of traumatic events (9/11, for example: I live in NYC and saw a portion of the events at the WTC at first hand). But I balked at the sudden return of Peter's memories of his mother's abuse, because I remember the life-ruining false-memory nightmares of the 1980s and 1990s, such as the McMartin Preschool case; there now exists some controversy over the possible existence of "dissociative amnesia," but the most rigorous analyses I've been able to find suggest it's not compatible with what's known about memory formation. (For example, this article. Additionally, Thanujeni Pathman, PhD, and Patricia Bauer, PhD, "Memory and Early Brain Development," from the online Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, write that very young children do form memories but not in a way accessible later in life -- the authors don't discuss memories of traumatic events, but for obvious ethical reasons there's no way to conduct prospective testing of any such memories, while retrospective tests are inevitably tainted by the possible conflation of children's memories with recollections described by the adults around them.) My confidence in this part of Peter's story was further undermined by seeing the author's source notes, which include among other sigh-inducing works at least one 1990s repressed-memory special.

But even apart from the dubious realism of Peter's experience from this point onward, what happened to the rapes by Jonas et al.? These disappear from the story, as if they never happened. Does Peter ever tell his young queer friend and artistic collaborator, Ty/Tai, why they should steer clear of Jonas, and never mind that Ty/Tai is super sexually sophisticated on account of having done sex work when even younger? We never find out.

Besides this, Reiter starts piling on to a Grand Guignol extent. Not only was Peter raped by his mother and by Jonas and his friends, he was apparently also abused by his cousin Ben, who in turn seems to have been abused by his music teacher, and one person who appears only by name but, it's hinted, is Peter's long-lost aunt, mentions recovered memories of incestuous abuse. Was there more? I may have lost track. And look, I'm sure that in the nonfictional world there are plenty of families with entwined, multigenerational histories of sexual abuse, but you can't credibly introduce a theme like that in the last third of your novel, and doing so becomes even more of a problem when you completely drop the thread you've been working with up to that point.

Oh, yeah, and a Jungian shrink turns up being weird but beneficial. Always depressing, given that Jung was a racist POS despite having some pretty though sadly unfalsifiable ideas.

Not gonna lie, I was crushed when Origin Story went to pieces, because up to that point it was one of the most convincing and moving portrayals I've ever seen of a person struggling with the damage sexual assault (and familial neglect, etc. etc.) has done to his mind and heart. Ten stars for that, three stars for the book overall, and how I wish that could be different.

Thanks to NetGalley and Saddle Road Press for the ARC.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to comp this title, it’s like when I discovered Matt Dean, a talented writer self-publishing better litfic than 80% of the market, yet in a way that would earn rejections from most if not all of the big 5 and their imprints, as it’s not easily marketable as one thing or another. I’m glad this one found an indie publisher, although in my dreams it’s one with enough in the budget (ha!) to bring the comic book chapters to life. Akin to Blackouts, it’s a collage of a novel, interspersed with letters and academic journals and emails and interviews, not to mention the entire comic book that Peter and Tai create as they go. Capturing that visually would make a compelling book.

But oh yes—the story. Peter, a social worker in 1990’s NYC, comes of age in his late 20’s, dealing with childhood abuse while navigating a relationship with his boyfriend Julian, who’s escaping family demons of his own, widowed by the loss of his first love to HIV. Collaborating with Tai (/Tyler), a kickass genderfluid teen, Peter starts to write his way back through his memories, exorcising the most painful parts of his past in comic book form. There’s a whole chorus of characters who all get a voice: an HIV-positive teacher who’s trying to adopt a child with his husband; a Christian bodybuilder/political bodyman who’s the “successful” product of conversion therapy; a model-turned-mystical-guru of the self-help set; Peter’s marvelous and plain-speaking half-sister Prue… and on and on. Steeped in nerd culture, and a celebration of queer culture in the midst of the AIDS apocalypse, there’s more joy and kink and friendship and healing than the heavier description of trauma would imply.

One thorny part is that various people on page ascribe Peter’s kinkiness to the childhood incest, much like homosexuality would have been ascribed to that a generation before. That’s pretty faithful to the characters and the time period, especially with the specter of AIDS and unsafe sex, but while in every other way I appreciated the 1990’s verisimilitude of it all—not 1990’s through the lens and vocabulary of 2024—I still yearned for a little glimpse of authorial pushback on that assumption. Thankfully though, it’s indicated near the end that it’s not really Peter “healing” from his kink so much as it is Julian meeting him halfway and embracing his own kinkiness, safely. There’s also a smidge of Zionism, which feels true to the Ashkenazi Jewish character(s) it comes from, but sticks out painfully with the current genocide in Palestine.

All in all, a complex book of messy characters that was worth the read. Well done, Jendi Reiter.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy~Bayou Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!

I absolutely loved Two Natures and I’ve been waiting for the conclusion of Julian and Peter’s story for a very long 7 years, but it was definitely worth the wait. It took time to really get into the story and try to remember what was happening and what had taken place in the previous story. As I said, it’s been 7 years.

While parts of the story were a bit slow, this was still a page tuner. Where Two Natures is told from Julian’s Point-of-view, here, we get Peter’s story, as he struggles with flashbacks of something that happened to him as a young child, as well as his struggle with his feelings for Julian. Loving Julian is one thing, but saying it out loud to Julian is hard for Peter.

The story is interesting and taking place in 1996-1997, it’s also nostalgic, especially since I am about the same age as Peter and Julian. I love both of these men and just want them to be happy. They have both been through so much, they deserve that.

The story was well-written while this was not an easy read at times, because as with the first book, it deals with some heavy and dark themes, we are left with a solid HFN ending for Julian and Peter. I would have loved an epilogue further in the future, but I’m greedy. Haha

This was an enjoyable and recommendable read, but while it could probably be read as a standalone, to get the full experience, it’s definitely better to read Two Natures first.

* Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. *

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Origin Story by Jendi reiter instead of a fun horror story where a comic writer goes crazy while living in his grandfather‘s apartment, we get a comic writer whose main hero goes around killing pedophiles after visiting people in their dreams but after he moved in to his grandfathers and while going through papers and other detritus left by him, he gets bogged down in forgotten childhood memories that he just cannot ignore any longer. He has a boyfriend named Julian who is so lovable and just wants to be loved in return something he finds hard, if not to do, at the very least admit to. In the end he is not the only one in his family to have mental problems but his loom largest in the book he also has a relationship with a young teen at the teen crisis center his mom started and where he works but this is it to say the story is a happy one nor is there a very happy ending. I usually don’t rate a book until I am done with it and by the time I was done with this book I was just happy it was over for the most part I was sad throughout the book if not for Julian then for The transgender teen, Pru or Peter himself. The book is set in 1998 and I must be honest and say I wish I had been reading the comic instead of this book. It started weird but I guess this book was written for a different type of reader but if you like sorrow porn and books that will make you feel awkward and or sad then you may like this book. I did like the characters but not the story that much. I didn’t hate the story and there is a reader for the story it just wasn’t me. I thought Peter was funny and I loved him and Julian together but not enough to make me love the book. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.#SaddleRoadPress, #NetGalley, #JendiReiter, #OriginStory,

[fanboyriot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

😢 Hurt/Comfort
✝️ Religious Trauma
🥹 Angst with a Happy for now Ending

Definitely a unique and interesting way to write a book, I really liked how it was set up. The plot and characters do well to leave you wanting to learn more within the story. It’s a complex novel and while it’s not necessarily an easy read with some of the dark themes and the happy for now kind of ending it does have it’s moments of hope within the darkness. It leans a bit more to the hurt than the comfort in the hurt/comfort tag, but definitely worth giving it a read; just mind the content warnings.

Thank you to pridebooktours over on Instagram and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧 (4/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 15, July 2024
Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

[Rebecca Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex and well rendered story dealing with trauma and recovery from sexual abuse. The story of Peter's healing journey was so well rendered. It's not easy to depict those liminal states of awareness where memories first make themselves known. And I love the use of "The Poison Cure" comic book as myth, a way to hold the overview of a truth that is difficult to speak.

[Amorina Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is filled with content warnings - listed below (I don't normally list them at the top, but this was one of those rare books that warranted it) - and deals with extremely complicated topics. It is emotionally complex, exhausting, and will break your heart into a million pieces. It is incredibly intense. But if you can handle the laundry list of topics, you will absolutely come out the other side changed.

Author’s Note: Origin Story depicts and discusses sensitive topics including child sexual abuse, repressed memories, self-harm and suicidality, intimate partner violence, dysphoria, misgendering, and religious homophobia.

Content Warnings: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Mental Illness, Infidelity, Violence, Suicidal Ideation, Sexual Assault, BDSM Culture, Child Abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Homphobia, Transphobia, Death, Domestic Abuse, Religious Ideology, AIDS

Because of these topics, this review and post also discusses some of these topics briefly. So, as I always advise, please protect your mental health. This book will be waiting for you if, and when, you are ready for it.

This is one of those books that is meaningful. I definitely enjoyed it in parts. I sympathized with several characters. I, too, as I've mentioned before, grew up in the Deep South with extremely religious parents. I had friends get sent - and get threatened to be sent - to re-education camp. If you thought it was an urban legend, to scare little southern kids straight, I can assure it is not.

This book is written against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, before they really knew how it happened, when it lurked in the world like a more selective, early herald to our generations plague. That haunting villian in the background, alongside the building of the main story with peeks into the past and present through different people's writings was such a unique and thrilling read. And, of course, the best lens was the comic book that Tai and Peter wrote together, blending their two stories - different, but similar. Two stories of loss, but with hope for the future, even when darkness almost wins.

So many complex issues, storylines, and characters are explored within this work that it will surely be something that needs to be read more than once. Though, the second reading will have to be done at a much later date because I really need one of those really light summer romcoms I've been reading! This one ripped my heart right out and stomped all over it a couple dozen thousand times. So, if you need me, I'll be getting that fixed up.

[Riven · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, Jendi Reiter, for allowing me to read an ARC copy of Origin Story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique take on a novel. I'm constantly on the lookout for storylines that differentiate from the usual narratives I encounter, and that's exactly what I found in Origin Story. The book offers a refreshing and compelling journey through the complex lives of its characters.

The story revolves around Peter Edelman, his alter ego in the comic book he's writing, and the heavy themes that surface as he revisits his long-repressed memories. His co-author, Tyler "Tai" Wick, is a genderfluid teen navigating the challenging dynamics of a group foster home, while fashion photographer Julian Selkirk seeks to balance his Christian faith with his sexuality and love for Peter.

Julian, in particular, stood out to me. He is a lovable character who yearns for love and acceptance in return. I found myself rooting for Julian the most, hoping that he and Peter would find the happiness they deserve.

While some parts of the book felt a bit slow, the overall experience was completely worth it. Origin Story tackles heavy topics such as religious bigotry, rape, sexual assault, dysphoria, and more. These elements add depth and flesh out the story, making it a poignant and thought-provoking read. It's essential to approach this book with the right mindset due to its sensitive content.

The plot and characters are intricately crafted, leaving readers wanting to learn more about their journeys and struggles. Despite the heavy themes, the story remains hopeful, and you can't help but root for the characters to find their peace and happiness.

All in all, I believe Origin Story is a worthwhile read, deserving of 3.5 stars. It offers a fresh perspective on healing, identity, and the search for home and family in late-1990s New York City.

Content Warnings:
Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship. (Someone else added these on their review and I thought it best to re-add them here too)

If you're prepared for a deep and challenging read, Origin Story will leave a lasting impact.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: What is the Poison Cure? For Peter Edelman, it's his alter ego in the comic book he's writing, a mysterious anti-hero who seduces and kills child abusers—a storyline that's bringing up his own long-repressed memories. For his co-author Tyler "Tai" Wick, a genderfluid teen artist in the group foster home where Peter is employed, it's the social workers who will deem him fit for adoption if he will suppress his female self, which they consider a split personality from his traumatic years working the streets. And for fashion photographer Julian Selkirk, who's trying to get Peter to say "I love you," it's the Christian faith that offers to help him break intergenerational patterns of alcoholism and violence, but at the cost of rejecting his sexuality.

Against the backdrop of late-1990s New York City sexual politics, these characters strive to redefine home and family in ways that are strong enough to contain their truths. From a Miami comic-book convention to a Christian men's retreat in Georgia, from an elite New Age wellness center to a BDSM dungeon in Manhattan, Origin Story follows their quest to determine the nature of healing and the price we pay for it.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Adult men dealing with maternal sexual abuse is going to stop most of you from picking this up.

Conversion "therapy", kink shaming, and the panoply of misunderstandings and bad takes that was 1990s-era psychotherapy should finish the remainder off.

Too bad. This is a solid love story between two deeply damaged men whose lives are somehow *better* when they're together. I'm really familiar with all the huge issues dealt with in here. I know these struggles. I think they're well-represented even when they're really hard to read.

If you're up for a very high-angst, dark and tough issue read, with a believable (though unsatisfying to me) HFN ending, this will apparate like it's dusted in Floo Powder into your cart. I myownself will never read it again. And I wish the comics stuff (which bored me) had been cut.

I'm really glad I'm seeing my therapist soon.

[Sage Nestler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Origin Story is one of those reads that is so unique and well written that it becomes unlike anything you have ever read. While it covers extremely sensitive topics and comes with a lot of trigger warnings (see below) it is so painful in such a beautiful way because it forces you to face the hurt and pain head on. It may even bring up things within yourself that you didn't know were there.

The book is set in the late-1990s and is written in chapters, but is paired with document style writing, such as screen plays, email exchanges, etc. The unique format gives the reader a better picture of the main characters, Peter and Tai, and keeps you engaged. The book is written in parts and addresses trauma and sexuality in such sensitive terms. I found myself relating to Tai a lot, and as a social worker myself, I was saddened by the social workers in the novel and how they wanted Tai to repress his female self in order to be "adoptable" because they felt that it was just a trauma response.

Origin Story felt very transformative to me because I connected a lot with the issues of gender, and how if you've experienced trauma, others may "blame" your gender orientation on your trauma and not validate you as a person. Reiter included a plethora of resources at the end of the book if any of the topics discussed are sensitive to you, which I appreciated.

This book will also be especially great for people who have found solace in comic books, because that is a big focus of the story. As a passionate comic book reader myself, I enjoyed that aspect. Just make sure that you are prepared for the sensitive topics before going in.
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⚠️Trigger Warnings: child sexual abuse, repressed memories, self-harm and suicidality, intimate partner violence, dysphoria, misgendering and religious homophobia.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Against the backdrop of late-1990s New York City sexual politics, these characters strive to redefine home and family in ways that are strong enough to contain their truths."

First of all, I'd like to thank @pridebooktours and Jendi Reiter for including me in the book tour of such a one-of-a-kind, raw, real release. It is always a privilege to be able to uplift new LGBTQ+ centered releases, especially ones that are written in such hauntingly beautiful prose.

I'd like to include the author's note up here at the top since this definitely is a heavier book. [Author’s Note: Origin Story depicts and discusses sensitive topics including child sexual abuse, repressed memories, self-harm and suicidality, intimate partner violence, dysphoria, misgendering, and religious homophobia.]

Origin Story is one that stays with you long after you finish the last chapter. As many other reviews will tell you, it's incredibly intense, heartbreaking and heavy, yet a critical and necessary read for all, regardless of their sexuality. I had to digest it in very tiny pieces due to its complex nature (once again, refer to Author's Note.) Those who enjoy multiple storylines and lots of complex characters to keep track of will definitely enjoy this.

[Donald Mengay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origin Story is a fantastic, creative, witty, savvy, troubling journey through queer culture in NYC in the 1990s. Brimming with period detail it brings that decade to life in such a way that it becomes a character in the novel. Experimental in form and theme, it challenges the reader to rethink so many knowns about identity, family, religion, and love. It is a boundary-breaking work in so many ways, particularly in its treatment of gender and sexuality, which for me was the draw that kept me glued, page after page. And it delivers in the end. There's nothing cliché or conventional about Origin Story, which is its genius. It's a fulfilling read, eyes wide-open about important subjects, with many rewards for the persistent reader.

[Ella Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Origin Story is a rich scrapbook of a queer grief, generational trauma, and how families hide from their secrets. To read it is to pour over old letters, journal entries, comic book drafts and tattered memories. Jendi Reiter vividly captures the painful disorientation of when long-repressed trauma surfaces in bits and pieces. It was a gift to spend time with these complicated characters as they heal, love, and create art together. This is a book I’ll be thinking about for years to come.

content warnings for sexual violence, CSA, suicide and self-harm, mentions of domestic violence

[Jessica Pegis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A completely honest novel—raw, funny, and extravagantly sexy. In revisiting the personal and family stories of Julian and Peter from Two Natures, along with the genderfluid comic book artist Tyler (Tai), Reiter lets his characters drift in the “poison cure” zone where good and evil might reverse at a moment’s notice. For each young man searching for the truth about their past and a future worth having, the price may be survival.

[Remi Recchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book quite like ORIGIN STORY. Set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and theological problems like the Binding of Isaac, the novel pulls the reader into a deep, uncertain landscape. ORIGIN STORY is wonderfully complex and explosive, and while it resists a fairytale ending, it offers something better than closure. It offers hope and a glimpse of how things ought to be.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ve never read a book quite like this one
thank you netgalley and the publisher for this book it feels like it discussed alot of topics that shouldn’t actually be connected but yet they are
this is honestly beautifully written and i enjoyed reading it.