To order The Art of Being Normal for £8.79, go to or call 03.The Art of Being Normal, Lisa Williamson’s debut novel, is a story of two boys, whose lives intertwine and who both have one thing in common…ĭavid has a secret, and apart from his two best friends, he’s never told anyone: ever since he can remember, David’s one wish has been to be a girl. Linda Buckley-Archer’s The Many Lives of John Stone will be published by Simon & Schuster (US) in October. Williamson’s memorable and thought‑provoking depiction of a girl trapped in a teenage boy’s body deserves to make its mark. Teen fictions that explores transgender issues are thin on the ground. The novel powers along to a feelgood ending that should please all but the most unsentimental reader. Williamson has a great ear for dialogue and the technique works well, though it might have worked even better if the teen voices were a little easier to distinguish. However, when David finds himself the butt of a bully’s joke, it is Leo who comes to his rescue.ĭavid and Leo’s increasingly interlocking stories are told in the present tense, in alternating first-person narratives. Preferring to keep himself to himself, and happy to hide behind a reputation as the tough kid you don’t want to mess with, Leo rejects an attempt by David to be friendly. He is haunted by his father’s early abandonment of him, and neglected by a mother whom he increasingly resents. Leo comes from a challenging background where money is tight and emotional support in short supply. Then Leo Denton is transferred to David’s school.

While his friends are all making out, or so he imagines, David reflects that he has never had a girl- or boyfriend, never kissed, never even held hands. During those rare moments when he is left alone in the house, he dresses up as a girl before wiping away the makeup and feeling like a stranger in his own body once more. David measures himself obsessively, is dismayed at the thought of stubble and covets his mother’s curves. Time is against him as a rising tide of testosterone elongates his skinny frame, lengthens his penis, makes his pale, blue-veined feet ugly and huge (“Kate Winslet is a size nine” offers his friend Felix encouragingly). Biology is sabotaging his longing to be petite and feminine. It is David’s isolation and quiet desperation that Williamson captures so well. Picturing their disappointment and distress, David cannot bring himself to confide in them. David has loving middle-class parents who suspect that all is not well with their son. The popular kids, in particular, show no compassion. With the exception of best friends Zoe and Felix, David’s fellow pupils display a predictable lack of understanding.

The art of being normal