Review of "This is How It Always Is" by Laurie Frankel

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Frankel introduces the reader to a young family of five children. When Rosie and Penn are expecting their fifth and youngest child, Rosie is wishing for a girl as she's only had boys prior. She planned on naming her child "Poppy" after her late sister. However, when the fifth child was born, it was a boy and they named him Claude. As Claude grows up, he asks to wear a dress to school and over time asks to be called Poppy. This is the story of how a very young child goes through the trials and errors of defining their gender identity.

I enjoyed the beginning part of the book but as it progressed I liked it less and less. It definitely has a preachy quality for trans-rights and gender queer identities rather than a personal or accurate portrayal of this type of experience. I do not know if Frankel herself has someone in her life that has gone through this type of transition but it does not come across that she has any personal knowledge of what it is like. It felt like it was a rose-colored look into how a young child would experience this self-education of their own identity. I did appreciate that this population is getting featured in literature as it is the first novel I have read with a gender-queer protagonist so props to Frankel for that. For me, the book should have cut out a good portion of the middle. It did feel like she added in a bunch of the same stuff so it got monotonous and tedious to listen to.

If you like stories about families with children who feel or are different than other children and you appreciate happy endings...this book is for you!

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