Seattle based novelist Laurie Frankel is set to hit the big time with her third novel, This Is How It Always Is, released February with Headline.

Fiercely topical, the novel follows the story of Rosie and Penn, whose fifth son Claude tells them that when he grows up, he wants to be a girl. The book has already gained widespread praise, with author Liane Moriarty calling it 'A very special book', Maria Semple describing it as 'lively and fascinating' and Adele Parks calling it 'A total joy'.