This Is How It Always Is Laurie Frankel

　　這是一個家庭從此過著幸福快樂的日子……直到這份快樂變得複雜的故事。

　　就是這樣。這就是所有父母都在做的事，他們一點也不特別。養育小孩就是在兩者之間取得平衡：放手讓他做自己，以及在他面對所生存的世界時，保護他不受傷害。你基於最好的假設為孩子做出決定，並且期望事情會往好的方向發展。

　　然而不論再怎麼努力，這一切永遠像個賭注。

　　Rosie和丈夫Penn，以及四個兒子，組成了一個吵鬧、充滿活力的大家庭。但在Rosie內心深處，始終留有過往的缺口：她渴望擁有一個小女兒。

　　於是接在四個哥哥之後──最小的男孩Claude誕生了。

　　Rosie和Penn投入了更加忙碌的生活，即使內心有些失落，但起碼他們全都知道要如何好好照顧一個小男孩(畢竟已經非常有經驗了)。一切的轉折出現在Claude即將上幼稚園時，他忽然宣布他長大時想當什麼──一個女生。他想穿裙子，想留長髮，想變成公主。

　　剛開始，Rosie和Penn以為只是小孩一時著迷的興趣，擔心他遭受其他人異樣的眼光，拒絕讓他穿洋裝上學，但他們漸漸發現，Claude因為被迫符合性別框架而感到窒息，在治療師的鼓勵及家人的支持下，他們決定讓他以自己喜歡的方式長大，但對外保守秘密。直到Claude進入青春期，真相再也藏不住……。

　　《愛的地圖集》、《愛的APP》作者Laurie Frankel，以自身養育跨性別小孩的經歷出發，寫下這部笑中帶淚，幽默、溫暖又令人揪心的小說，講述了一個大家庭如何處理混亂的日常，當他們面臨小兒子的性別認同障礙，又經歷了怎樣的內外掙扎。她以溫柔的文字呈現了一個龐大而複雜的家庭難題，以及最簡單、純粹的愛。

　　'A very special book about a family with a secret. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think.' Liane Moriarty, No. 1 bestselling author of BIG LITTLE LIES

　　Laurie Frankel's THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS the 'fascinating story of a thoroughly modern family and the giant, multifaceted love that binds them... Sparkles with wit and wisdom' (Maria Semple). Perfect for readers of WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES and THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY.

　　This is how a family keeps a secret...and how that secret ends up keeping them.

　　This is how a family lives happily ever after...until happily ever after becomes complicated.

　　This is how children change...and then change the world.

　　This is Claude. He's five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.
When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

　　Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They're just not sure they're ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes.

　　Laurie Frankel's THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it's about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don't get to keep them forever.

　　'An intelligent, life-affirming, emotionally charged story' Prima

作者簡介

　　Laurie Frankel writes novels (reads novels, teaches other people to write novels, raises a small person who reads and might someday write novels) in Seattle, Washington. She and her husband and daughter live on a nearly vertical hill from which Laurie can watch three different bridges when she's staring out her windows between words.

　　Laurie's earlier novels are The Atlas of Love and Goodbye For Now. This Is How It Always Is is her third novel.