Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

I saw this book on the recommendation table at Waterstone's and was instantly drawn in by the cover and the blurb. Then at the counter the bookseller told me that they were currently reading it and really enjoying it, so I had high expectations. They were met exceedingly in this book.

I have to admit that the first fifty or so pages dragged while the characters were being introduced, but after that the book picked up speed. The first page/chapter really caught me out because I hadn't expected the author to be so blunt, but I'm glad that it was the way it was so that I could understand David better and know where she was in terms of discovering her gender.

I think I need to point this out now, but I am so sorry if I mis-gender the characters here. I personally am very happy if people are able to become who they really are and try very hard to not be disrespectful, but I do not understand everything and so I do sometimes make mistakes. I apologise in advance if I do say anything wrong.

Anyway, I think the book started to pick up for me when Leo came to the school. Seeing he and David interact was what started to bring the two perspectives together for me. Before I had been questioning Leo's role as the other person in the dual perspective, and obviously later in the novel it became even clearer, but at the point I could start to see why Williamson had chosen him to be the other main protagonist.

As someone who is not transgender and has never really questioned my gender, apart from complaining how much easier it would be to be a guy when on my period, I thought that it might be hard to understand Leo and David. In fact it was the opposite. I know that this book has been criticised for only showing characters who have known since childhood that they are the opposite gender, but to me having them already know that when the book started made it easier for me to understand where they were coming from because as teenagers around my age, it is easier to understand them trying to deal with things like bullies and telling people who they are than it is to try and get into the mindset of why they feel wrong in their biological gender.

Having to contrasting worlds in this book was also a good thing to have because it shows that being transgender does not depend on your upbringing or family, it depends on who you are as a person. It was also interesting to catch a small glimpse on what treatments are available for people who are experiencing what David and Leo experienced. It is something that you're not taught about in school and if it wasn't for people I know really wanting to share the knowledge they have on the LGBTQ  community then I fear that I would have acted in the same way that characters like Harry acted, which is not a good thing. I think this book expresses the need for more education in this subject area perfectly.

I have two little criticisms of this book. The first, which is in no way a major thing, is the constant references to what year group people were in. Having the numbers in the text is just not aesthetically appealing to me and often when you're in school you don't know what year people are in just by looking at them. (I thought that some current year ten's were in the year above me until they didn't leave last year.)

Secondly, I did feel like the trip to Kent was unrealistic, though I know how necessary it was for the characters to develop. If only we could all skip some school to go to the seaside for the weekend, but it just doesn't happen.

Overall this book gave me a great insight into the lives of people like Leo and David. I know that by no means do they represent everyone, but I also know that this book is an important step forward in terms of people being more knowledgeable and respectful.

(Goodreads parallel)