This Is How It Always Is

This Is How It Always Is

by

Laurie Frankel

Marginny Granderson Character Analysis

Frank’s wife and Aggie and Cayenne’s mother. Marginny and Frank live next door to Penn and Rosie in Seattle, and they are the first people Rosie tells that Poppy is transgender. Marginny and Frank decide not to tell Aggie and Cayenne about Poppy’s gender. Marginny thinks that if the point is for her daughters to treat Poppy like a girl, it is better not to confuse things. Rosie agrees and decides it is best to keep Poppy’s gender a secret from everyone. Marginny and her family have dinner once a month with Rosie and her family, and the two women have a comfortable and supportive friendship.
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Marginny Granderson Character Timeline in This Is How It Always Is

The timeline below shows where the character Marginny Granderson appears in This Is How It Always Is. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part II: Rival Neighbor Princess
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...the door, and she is a bit irritated at the interruption. It is the neighbors, Marginny and Frank Granderson, and they have come to introduce themselves. Marginny and Frank are warm... (full context)
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...nothing like that. Suddenly, the back door opens, and Penn and the children pour in. Marginny quickly introduces herself to Penn, and then she invites them to a barbeque the next... (full context)
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The next day at the barbeque, Marginny approaches Penn and Rosie. Marginny doesn’t mean to apologize for Frank and the drag queen... (full context)
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Penn is surprised that Rosie told Marginny and Frank about Poppy. Rosie apologizes, but she didn’t know what to say. Penn agrees... (full context)
Part II: Fifty-Fifty
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Since Penn and Rosie’s house is so close to Marginny and Frank’s house, they start having dinner together once a month. They call it “Dueling... (full context)
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...but if she waits and wants to take them later, it will be too late. Marginny points out that Poppy will remain a little girl after Aggie and all her friends... (full context)
Part II: Preventative Madness
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...Poppy “used to be a boy.” Everyone stops and stares at each other, including Frank, Marginny, Rosie, Penn, and Poppy. Then, some more laughing kids run through, and Orion and his... (full context)
Part II: Transformation
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...says, and they haven’t even thought about hormone blockers since the talk with Frank and Marginny at Dueling Dinners. It is too early, Rosie says, for Poppy to take hormone blockers.... (full context)
Part II: Parenting in the Dark
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...in. They told Poppy’s secret, they say, after Orion let it slip at Frank and Marginny’s barbeque. A kid overheard Orion, and he told Orion and Rigel that he was “just... (full context)