Ordinary Unhappiness 125: Demons, Community, and Conversion Therapy feat. Grace Byron
Dec 13, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Grace Byron, a talented writer and novelist known for her debut novel Herculine, dives into the complexities of trauma and identity within the trans community. She discusses the eerie blend of occult themes and emotional rivalries in her work, shedding light on how trauma shapes healing journeys. Grace critiques separatist fantasies and highlights the power dynamics that can emerge within marginalized communities. The discussion also delves into the implications of conversion therapy and the nuanced realities of therapy practices.
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Demons As Modern Trauma Metaphors
- Demons return as cultural metaphors tied to modern traumas and political scapegoating.
- Grace Byron uses literal demons to dramatize cumulative trauma and self-surveillance.
From Failed Memoir To Demonic Novel
- Grace Byron describes her own failed memoir attempts and turn to fiction after workshops.
- Demons emerged in the novel organically as the voice and stakes took over her work.
Unclear Rules Mirror Social Precarity
- Byron resists clear supernatural rules to mirror precarity and anxiety in the book's world.
- Unclear cosmology keeps desire, power dynamics, and uncertainty central to the story.
