Book Review: Normal People
- Allie Platt
- Sep 16, 2019
- 3 min read
Book: Normal People
Author: Sally Rooney
Published August 29th 2018 by Faber & Faber
“Marianne had the sense that her real life was happening somewhere very far away, happening without her, and she didn't know if she would ever find out where it was or become part of it.”― Sally Rooney, Normal People
I live for those moments when you're reading a book and it just sees you.
Normal People came into my life at that exact right moment, part of it planned, part of it good fortune. I had the forward thinking and pleasure to read this book while travelling on the border of London-Derry, Derry. Northern Ireland / Ireland (the link features insight into the name dispute and history of the region) this summer. (The book takes place in County Sligo and Dublin, Ireland) Timing books to travelling is key and can totally influence how you feel about the text or your surroundings. Which our surroundings were gorgeous and very relaxing making it the perfect experience to dive into a good book.
I have since picked up this book and Rooney's first book Conversations with Friends for multiple re-reads to get into these characters thoughts. Rooney's writing just works; it gives the reader keys to understanding their own coming of age. Making it that much easier to shed the mistakes of our youth.
Marianne and Connell's coming of age was unique yet completely devastatingly relatable. The push and pull of falling in and out of love with someone who circles your life, who wants you and leaves you. The indecisiveness young love truly is.
The book is told episodically giving you glimpses into their interactions and thoughts. The humanity of the characters tug of a war with themselves having their lives in their control one moment and very much out of their control the next is exquisitely told. I think this would be a great read for anyone feeling particularly anxious as it paints a full picture on why thoughts spiral.
Synopsis
The novel is about the complex friendship and relationship between two teenagers, Connell and Marianne, who both attend the same secondary school in County Sligo, and later Trinity College Dublin. It is set during the 2000s downturn period. In the book's story, Connell is a popular, handsome, and highly intelligent high schooler who begins a relationship with unpopular, intimidating, and intelligent Marianne, whose parents employ his mother as a cleaner.
“It's funny the decisions you make because you like someone, he says, and then your whole life is different. I think we're at that weird age where life can change a lot from small decisions.”― Sally Rooney, Normal People
Connell keeps the affair a secret from school friends out of shame, but ends up attending Trinity alongside her after the summer and reconciling. Well-off Marianne blossoms at university, becoming pretty and popular, while Connell struggles to fit in properly for the first time in his life. The pair weave in and out of each other's lives across their university years, developing an intense bond that brings to light the traumas and insecurities that make them both who they are.
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