Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction
Review: This is a beautiful story. It goes something like this: First, there was Claude. But Claude felt that being a boy wasn't quite right. So around the start of kindergarten, Claude started wearing dresses. Sometimes this was a big deal (for other people), sometimes it wasn't. Claude (and Claude's parents) were just figuring it out as they went along (with the help of a very quirky (in the best way) guru cum therapist). Not long after, Claude became Poppy, and later, the family decided that it was best if no-one knew that Poppy was ever anything but. Secrets are hard to keep, though, and Frankel doesn't pull her punches on the consequences.
I can't speak to how well Frankel gets inside the head of a young child struggling to figure out whether they are boy, girl, both, or neither, or the head of the parents who only want to love and support that child (although that was easier for me). What I can say is that Frankel's portrayal of Poppy and Poppy's parents, siblings, and grandmother is nuanced and both heartwrenching and heartwarming. This book made me laugh and cry and everything in between.
PS. I actually listened to this book, and I highly recommend the audio version. Gabra Zackman, the narrator does an amazing job giving life to the voice of each character.
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