Don't you?
Riley Pieterson is an adventurous girl with lots of questions. There's plenty she doesn't know yet; what a human brain looks like. All the constellations in the night sky. Why others can't see her the way she sees herself.
When Riley confides in her parents - Sally and Theo - that she feels uncomfortable in her own skin, a chain of events begins that changes their lives forever. Sally wants to support her daughter by helping her be who she dreams of being. Theo resists; he thinks Riley is a seven-year-old child pushing boundaries. Both believe theirs is the only way to protect Riley and keep her safe.
With the wellbeing of their child at stake, Sally and Theo's relationship is pushed to breaking point. To save their family, each of them must look deeply at who they really are.
Like so many books I bought last year This Child of Ours by Sadie Pearse has been sat languishing on my Kindle waiting for me to read so when I received the email from Millie at Little Brown inviting me to be a part of this blog tour it gave me the perfect opportunity to finally read the book. And now that I've finished reading it I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner as it's a powerful read that had me going through a whole rollercoaster of emotions whilst reading.
This Child of Ours is a poignant, thought provoking book featuring the sensitive topic of gender dysphoria, or in simpler terms not feeling that you belong in your own body, when seven year old Riley announces to her parents Theo and Sally that she wants to be a boy. This is not just your typical girl with tomboyish qualities, she doesn't feel comfortable being and existing as a girl and identifies herself as a boy. What follows is how everyone reacts to this announcement and the decisions that are made that have an impact on all involved.
Childhood and going to school should be all about fun and learning but for Riley it's turning into a place where she doesn't feel like she belongs and there's one particular scene about going to the toilet that literally had me with a lump in the throat. Also the subject of what underwear to wear, how something so everyday could cause such distress to a young child is unimaginable.
My heart really felt for both Sally and Theo and like them I was torn as to what I would have done in their situation. It was understandable that they would have differing reactions and opinions as to how to deal with the situation that they as a family were in. At one point I was of the same viewpoint as Theo and thinking that Riley was too young to make such an important lifelong decision but the more I read, especially the pages where we heard from Riley's own voice, then the more I tended to agree with Sally to allow Riley the freedom to be identified as a boy although I did think that maybe there should have been more involvement with experts to help them, maybe a child psychologist.
It was sad to how the family dynamics were so deeply affected, especially when it came to Sally and Theo's marriage. They appeared to have such a strong and loving relationship beforehand and whereas they should have been working together as a unit trying to figure out what was the best for their child, it made them pull apart which again I guess was understandable. It was also interesting to see the reactions of the grandparents, one set taking a similar view to Sally and the other even more opposed to the situation than Theo but I didn't agree with the action that one of them took.
I can honestly say that before reading this book I'd never really given gender dysphoria much thought especially in regards to younger children. Of course, I've seen television programmes that have covered people who are currently transitioning from one gender to another but these are usually adults or older teenagers not pre-pubescent children. This topic alone would make This Child of Ours perfect for a book group discussion as I'm sure there will be differing opinions from parents and non-parents alike as to how they would have reacted and dealt with the situation Theo, Sally and Riley were in.
If you like the sound of This Child of Ours then you're in luck as thanks to Sadie's publicist Millie I have a paperback copy to give away to a follower of the blog.
*Terms and Conditions* – As with all giveaways on the blog the giveaway is open to existing followers, enter via Rafflecopter form below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by email and/or Twitter. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties and will be deleted once receipt of the prize has been confirmed. NB. Please do not add details of this giveaway to other sites without my permission.
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