This is how it always is

I have loved many of the book choices from the Reece Witherspoon Book Club. Her October choice, This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, may well be my favourite so far.

It is an intimate story of Rosie and Penn and their five sons, focussing in particular on their youngest son, Claude who wants to be a girl. Quite simply, it is a book about unconditional love.

I can think of very few books that have pulled me in as quickly as this. I felt from the very first few pages that I knew this family, I liked them and I cared about them.

It is such an interesting book. As parent, I like to think that whatever choices my children make I would support them wholeheartedly. This book just got me thinking about so many things; how would I feel in this situation, also not just for Claude/Poppy but the other children. I also tried to put myself in the position of Poppy’s best friend and her parents. I love a book that gets me to really think about different situations and I certainly am with this one.

Laurie Frankel has done such an amazing job with this book, it is so thought provoking. I absolutely loved Rosie and Penn; and I loved the way in which they love and support their family, and the way they work as a couple just moved me so much.

I would highly recommend this book and I think it would be a fantastic book club choice as it would undoubtedly strike up some great discussion.

Finally, I’d like you to leave you with this beautiful quote from the author’s note. “I wish for my child, for all our children, a world where they can be who they are and become their most loved, blessed, appreciated selves...... For my child, for all our children, I want more options, more paths through the woods, wider ranges of normal, and unconditional love. Who doesn’t want that!”