How to be Normal

Author: Ange Crawford

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Description

Winner of the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize. With themes including coercive control, coming of age, and finding yourself, this debut authentically deals with timely issues with insight, sympathy and well crafted humour.

Astrid is about to start her last year at high school. And her first.
When her dad loses his job, Astrid’s homeschooling comes to an end. Until now, she has lived within the confines of a tightly controlled, contracted world where there's no room for anything … except following her father’s rules and pretending that everything is normal.
As Astrid, and her mum, tentatively expand their world, they struggle to break free of their ingrained wariness and self-doubt. But with hope, new friends, and the strength of a promise, Astrid has a chance to find out what she wants, who she loves, and who she really is.

Winner of the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize, this is a brilliantly written YA debut that deftly explores timely issues with insight, humour and pathos.

Critic Reviews

How to Be Normal is a deeply engaging read about coercive control written by an author with personal experience of it, who never lets the narrative get too dark or confronting. I highly recommend this novel for readers aged 12+ who like contemporary stories. Readings

This beautiful, emotional, complex book was just unputdownable.
Following Astrid, who is about to start her last year of high school, which is also her first. For the first time she is able to figure out who she is and what she wants, slightly outside the tightly controlled world her father has set for her and her mum.

Farrells Bookshop
Ange Crawford’s debut novel, How to Be Normal, is a visceral and compelling read...How to Be Normal features a rich array of characters, with queerness integrated throughout. Diversity of sexuality, gender identity and gender expression are presented matter-of-factly, making for a pleasant normalisation of LGBTQIA+ representation. With the author’s sensitivity and skill in pacing and characterisation, it is clear why How to Be Normal won the inaugural (2023) Walker Books Manuscript Prize. How to Be Normal is best suited to readers aged 14+ and fans of contemporary YA that is both gritty and wholesome, such as the works of Helena Fox and Vikki Wakefield. Books + Publishing
Powerful, interesting and believable characters, matched with superb dialogue keep the pages turning. In beautifully written emotive prose, Crawford has captured every nuance of this subtle type of persecution...Not to be missed! Kids Book Review

About the Author

Ange Crawford is a queer writer and editor who holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Master of Arts (Writing). She has published across many genres, such as digital poetry, reviews, fiction and feature articles, and has previously contributed volunteer editorial work for Asymptote and the Lifted Brow. How to Be Normal is her debut novel.