Normal People Review

By Sally Rooney

Rating: 5/5

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.

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I’m probably over-generous with my rating for Normal People. But I’m a sucker for love stories. This one earned a spot on my favorites shelf for sure. So much of this book felt relevant to me in both characters. In their actions, thoughts and what they experienced.

It was a very heartfelt book. It made me sad, angry… I got all the feels in this one. Although I didn’t agree with all the characters’ actions. I could understand why they did them and why they felt they needed to do them.

Connell and Marianne’s relationship reminded me vaguely of a relationship I had throughout high school which ended abruptly in a similar way as theirs did as they finished school. Though my relationship was not nearly as complicated as Connell and Marianne’s, it helped me understand their relationship on a deeper level. The regret of their actions as they went on with their lives. Often filled with those what-ifs.

As well as their interactions with others also reminded me of the interactions I’ve had throughout my life. This book was just filled with relevance for me. Their actions with other partners and friends, and how they wanted to be treated or treated them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It flowed really well. It was written in a unique way I hadn’t read before in terms of the conversations between the characters. I had expected this to bother me as I went through the book, but it didn’t bother me at all. It’s such a heartfelt love story of two teens who find their path in life. I would totally read this again. It’s just that good. Keep reading for additional thoughts of mine on Normal People.

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Warning! Spoilers :)

There was one interaction that reminded me of a memory I didn’t expect to be reminded of. I had almost forgotten it had happened. This whole idea of who deserves to be awarded scholarships. I respected Marianne’s choice to apply for the scholarship, as well as Connell. Each of them needed it for different reasons. Just because you have more money than some doesn’t mean you can’t strive for the same things. Marianne wanted it to prove to others she was smart, more than just the family money that brought her there, also being independent of her family’s money as well. Connell wanted it to make it easier on his studies, yes he needed the money. But he was already able to excel without the scholarship, the money and benefits from the scholarship just made it easier for him to focus on his studies.

This scenario with the scholarship reminded me of scholarship I had applied for during my senior year of high school. A friend of mine at the time started acting strange with and around me simply because I won a scholarship we both had applied for and she didn’t. A mutual friend later told me that she felt that she deserved the scholarship more because she needed the money more than I did. Not that I was rich, my family is far from it. She just knew my family was better off than hers. I didn’t think one’s money status should determine if someone should be awarded a scholarship or not.

I couldn’t have been happier with how at the ending Connell and Marianne were finally together as an official couple. The ending was left open but I think even if Connell left for New York, they would have stayed together.