Joseph Cassara’pa The House of Impossible Beauties: A Novel is a gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and ’90s. Laurie Frankel’pa This Is How It Always Is: A Novel explores the consequences of trying to keep a family secret in a family of five boys, the youngest of whom dreams of being a princess and wearing dresses.