Book Review: Normal People by Sally Rooney

Hello Everyone,

Today’s review is on Normal People by Sally Rooney. Before I jump in, I just wanted to let you know that this review will be a little bit different because it is more stream of consciousness, and it is a collection of the thoughts I had while reading the novel. I hope you like it!

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.

Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.

My Thoughts:

Maybe it’s just that I have been out of high school for so long, but I don’t fully understand why Connell doesn’t want anyone to know that he likes Marianne. I get that he’s popular, but I think that is being a jerk to her. Is it because he is still confused about his feelings for her?

Even though I had seen several reviews that mentioned this, it still took me a while to get used to the no quotation marks when the characters are talking to each other. It is kind of unusual and not something that I have seen done before.

I like college Connell, he seems to have grown up a bit from who he was during the last few months. He does suck at communication thought, especially with what he would like from his relationship with Marianne. He lets her think that he wants to see other people, when he really says that for her benefit. They clearly care about each other, but neither of them wants to say what they really want from the other person.

My heart broke for Marianne when she tells Connell that maybe she deserves to be in relationships where she is physically hurt. She doesn’t, but it’s sad that – apart from Connell – that is kind of all she really knows from her various male relationships. She deserves someone that will lover her with tenderness and compassion. She also deserves a better friend than Peggy.

Ugh! Marianne! You are worthy of so much more than men who beat you up physically and mentally because of their kinks. I know she mentioned before that she is into it, but it is obvious that she isn’t but she believes it is the only love she deserves. I think it proves that wealth doesn’t automatically equate to happiness.

I love how Connell genuinely cares for her, even if it is just as friends.

Normal people is definitely not for everyone, but it will also be a novel that those who read it and enjoy it will love. I will be honest, when i first started it I was debating whether to keep going with it. However, I am so glad that I kept at it and ended up really enjoying it.

The on thing to keep in mind is that this is a novel following two uniquely flawed characters as they try to navigate early adulthood, and their relationship. While there are some things that the characters did that I could not relate to, I found myself relating to their perspectives of themselves. In a lot of ways I found myself relating to Marianne and how she believes she is not worthy of being treated with true love and compassion, and she questions her existence and purpose at times. I would be curious to see where Marianne and Connell would be in the present day.

Without saying too much, then ending kind of wrecked me, but it was a good choice on the author’s part. However, I can also see it being something that a lot of readers won’t like.

Overall, I really enjoyed Normal People. While it took me a while to get into, it was a good character study of two individuals and a character study of their relationship to one another over the course of several years. Also, I recommend reading this if you liked On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and vice versa.

Happy Reading,

Janelle L. C.