And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.įrankel's third novel is about the large, rambunctious Walsh-Adams family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. Laurie Frankel's This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. This is how children change…and then change the world. This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated. This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.

“It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think.” -Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies Longlisted for 2019 International DUBLIN Literary Award The Globe and Mail's Top 100 Books of 2017 Refinery29's Best Books of the Year So Far PopSugar’s Our Favorite Books of the Year (So Far) “Every once in a while, I read a book that opens my eyes in a way I never expected.” -Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick)īustle’s 17 Books Every Woman Should Read From 2017 Here's a letter I wrote to early readers about why this story is so hard to tell and why I did it anyway.The Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick Here's a piece I wrote for the New York Times' Modern Love column about my own journey with my own kid. If they're not your bag, keep looking.Īnd 2) gender nonconforming is an excellent way to be. Two notes:ġ) These are just starting points. Below are some resources for families with gender nonconforming children. There are so many resources now for anyone who wants to learn more about gender identity in general and transgender issues in particular.

If you're interested, give a yell and I'll be in touch. It is sometimes possible for me to join your bookclub via zoom. With the caveat that there are spoilers, here's a link to discussion questions for after you've read the book. Thank you for choosing This Is How It Always Is for your book club!

Novel this is how it always is