Published by David Fickling Books
Review by Allison Johnstone
David Fickling has a good eye for winning books and this debut novel by Lisa Williamson is certainly eye-catching.
Strikingly entitled The Art of Being Normal, a name that could be confused for a self-help book, it tells the story of David and Leo, whose lives, on the surface, couldn’t be more different.
David comes from a ‘normal’ home with dad, mum and irritating sister while Leo’s home life is chaotic – a mother who brings home a string of boyfriends, doesn’t feed the children and spends her life in the pub or at bingo.
From the fi rst page we know something is up as David reveals that he wants to be a girl; and what is the story of Leo, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks who turns up at the successful Eden Park school?
The chasm between the boys is fi lled after Leo intervenes in a fi ght David gets involved in and the former offers the latter maths support. As the story develops through rumour and hints, we are drawn to Leo’s real story; and the boys have more in common than they could ever have thought. So does the book work? I am afraid it doesn’t.
Williamson tackles an interesting and controversial teen issue, more common than many probably think but not so common as to resonate with a wide audience.
The book is overlong at nearly 400 pages and the ending tied up rather too quickly and conveniently.
Would parents accept a transgender child so willingly and embrace the change? From my experience, where this has happened, parental anguish is a deep grief. What Williamson does well is the teenage voice; it is certainly a modern book with contemporary language; and she does capture teenagers exceptionally well.
But a classic? For me, no.