The art of being normal by Lisa Williamson - review

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth - David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal - to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in Year 11 is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long . . .

If a book has an interesting cover I will swarm to it like a moth to a flame. I love the look of the cover and how it so simply conveys the topics within the book. Pretty cover a side I had passed 'the art of being normal' a few times whilst wasting time in a Waterstone's and before that had heard the title in a book haul on YouTube. Every time I saw the book I put it off because either I had already bought a fair few books recently or I couldn't justify my spending at the time.

On March 31st the book popped back into my head for no apparent reason and I decided enough was enough. So after searching high and low for half an hour to find my Kindle, which was hidden under my bed for some bizarre reason, I downloaded it only to find out it was the international transgender day of visibilty. Funny how the world works.

The book centres around David, who is transgender, and follows the struggles David has to endure. Those struggles included telling your loved ones and dealing with being trapped in a body that does not conform with who you are. The book also follows Leo who has a difficult past and has moved to David's school and shows how their worlds collide.

The book hooked me from the start. The first half I was almost crazed whilst reading because I needed to know that everything would be okay and that both David and Leo would be happy.
I do have to say that I found the second half to be slower than the first. I don't think slow is the right word really. In the first half I couldn't tear myself away and just needed to keep going, going, going. However after 'the trip' (and I won't say any more than that) I found I wasn't reading it as quickly. I was still hooked but it wasn't the same fervour.

I really enjoyed how the story is told as you flip between David's point of view and Leo's. You get to really understand how the characters feel and what makes them tick. I have to admit there were a few bits in the second half that didn't seem very realistic, they seemed too idyllic, but I didn't mind too much as it gave me the outcome I wanted.

I have to point out that although I thought it portrayed individuals who are transgender well as a cis woman I cannot speak for those who are transgender. If you didn't feel the book was a good representation I would love to hear your thoughts!

This book is aimed at a more young adult audience however I do feel that it's easy writing style lends it to be a good topic for discussion in schools.

If you have the chance I recommend giving 'the art of being normal' a read!

Sophie