Normal People
By Sally Rooney
Published: Hogarth, 2018
Pages:
Genre: Contemporary
“Her eyes fill up with tears again and she closes them. Even in memory she will find this moment unbearably intense, and she's aware of this now, while it's happening. She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person. But now she has a new life, of which this is the first moment, and even after many years have passed she will still think: Yes, that was it, the beginning of my life.”
About the book
At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school soccer team while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her housekeeping job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers—one they are determined to conceal.
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.
Review
Normal People is one of those books that I don't like I'll like but end up loving.
The unique writing style is what really strikes me... it's very similar to The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick. Rooney doesn't use quotation marks, which at first confuses me since I'm so use to them. Once I got into the rhythm of the writing style, it quickly became very addicting.
What I had thought would be a quirky, fun romance novel is actually a deep, thought-provoking novel. My personal interpretation of the story is that it's OK to not be "normal." This really impacts me, because I've always felt lonely, like I'm abnormal and don't act like others do. Marianne and Connell go through phases of their life in which they are lonely and "weird." But, the Rooney consistently shows that this is just a social construct. The characters experience personal development throughout the novel and their relationship slowly grows into something different.
Normal People is definitely a character-driven piece. Marianne is from an emotionally abusive home and struggles to find herself and what she really wants. Connell is from a loving, but poor, home and battles his insecurities and aloofness. Though neither can be considered "normal," they slowly work through their psychological issues while attempting to maintain some sort of relationship.
I believe this novel shows readers that it's OK to be weird and fucked up. Marianne and Connell don't have a conventional relationship, but that's OK because they'll always find each other. There's something really beautiful about that.
RATING (out of five puppies)
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