Diving straight into Alex As Well with little background knowledge was an interesting experience, in some ways if you are planning to read the book I suggest you stop here and just read it.
Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman is a very unique book that gives insight into the controversial topic of gender misidentify. Alex was born intersex and brought up as a boy, but always felt somewhat different and wrong in her chosen body. Spurred on by these feelings Alex decides to stop taking her pills and become the girl that had been there all along.
After "coming out" as a girl Alex enrols in a new school where she quickly makes new friends and possibly more. However, while she enroles herself into school easily enough, the school need her birth certificate, which would complicate her situation immensely, due to the small, but very significant detail stating her gender: male.
Desperately Alex seeks out a lawyer to help change her birth certificate; however her complications do not stop there. Alex's parents are largely unsupportive of the decisions she has made, her relationship with them, if at any point there was one, is swiftly deteriorating.
This book tackles the delicate topic of being intersex and gives a lot of insight into the problems associated with it, while still being a very enjoyable fiction read.
After you get over the initial confusion of what happened in the changing room between the two Alex's, one male and one female, (you'll understand if you read it,) you get to really know Alex and realise her true character. Her story is very real and well written, which together with the fantastic character development makes this book hugely enjoyable to read. Alex's narrative was also written towards the reader really allowing you to get a deeper understanding and better connection with her character.
There was only one problem with this book. However, when I say problem Alyssa Brugman may have written this on purpose, in which case she is a genius. For she wrote one of the most frustrating and blood-boiling characters I have ever read - Alex's mum. Throughout the book there are dottings of her mother's blog where she likes to unload her feelings towards Alex's transformation. After reading these snippets I wanted to punch her mother repeatedly while simultaneously ripping these extracts out of the book. Not that they were badly written, Brugman had merely written a highly unlikable character which in retrospect was probably the point. The woman is so awful and unaccepting of the situation that she should not have been allowed to have ANY child in the first place. Alex deciding to be vegetarian, for example, sends her mother into a total spasm completed with telling her own child that they are killing her. Which is what every child just loves to hear from their parent.
If you combined Darth Vader, Voldemort and King Joffrey, the character wouldn't be one quarter as despicable as the mother. Although I have to admit that this did add something to the overall plot by making me sympathise so much more with Alex's situation.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The book ended perfectly which tops off my overall ten out of ten opinion for this novel. Alex accepts that her situation will never be plain sailing, and successfully moves on, which is both a great note to end the book on and realistic.
The writing was easy to read and this book while not a light read can be sped through leaving the reader with not only a lot to think about, but a whole new opinion and knowledge of the subject together with a much greater understanding of the struggle.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
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