This Is How It Always Is

You can't tell people what to be, I'm afraid," said Rosie. "You can only love and support who they already are.

Could this be my favourite novel of 2020? 

This Is How It Always Is is a heartfelt and wonderful novel! It shares the story of the Walsh-Adams family, more specifically about the challenges and life changes when raising a transgender child. 

Here's what I ADORED about the novel!

1. The Story-telling 

The novel's storytelling is smooth, well-paced, and well-written. It engages the reader by employing a creative narrative style that shares various perspectives of each family member and uses fairy tales occasionally to give the story more depth. Nothing in the novel feels out of place, rushed, or too slow, and this is exactly why I found myself sitting with this novel for several hours at a time, enjoying each page and how the story unfolds. 

2. The Characters

Every single character in this novel has a purpose, even if minuscule in progressing the Walsh-Adams story, and that's how it should be. I enjoyed how each character is given a unique character arc and personality. The Walsh-Adams family is genuine, honest, and welcoming. Also, I enjoyed the realistic reactions that each family member had to Claude's transformation into Poppy, and how they developed the family as a whole. 

3. The Plot

With great story-telling and characters, it goes almost without saying that the plot and story itself is just as great. The growth, hardships, changes, and victories of the Walsh-Adams family create a well-formed story, and I really found myself addicted to the story and learning how they progress and grow. I enjoyed how although the story focuses greatly on Claude's transformation into Poppy, it also shows how the change impacts the entire family's storyline and how other aspects of their life come together with the changing family dynamics. 

Overall, I adored this novel and will be seeking out for other novels written by Frankel. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Happy Reading!