Book Review: Normal People

Connell is popular. Marianne is awkward and a loner. Marianne’s family has money and she lives in a large house. Connell’s mom, who was only a teenager when she had him, cleans Marianne’s house. There is really no reason for their paths to ever cross. And yet, they do. Again, and again. From their last year in school and throughout their undergraduate career, Connell and Marianne keep finding each other. Sally Rooney’s Normal People explores the friendship and love between two people who just can’t stay apart from each other.

I love books that explore relationships over a long period of time. I love to see couples find a way to overcome any obstacle that is thrown their way and still be together. Normal People is one of these books.

Connell and Marianne are introduced as two people with nothing in common aside from the small town they’ve grown up in. However, as they continue to interact, it becomes more evident that they need each other in their lives. I couldn’t put the book down whenever Connell and Marianne were apart because I was rooting for them to find their way back to each other. They complimented each other, brought out the best in each other, and supported and protected one another.  

Not only did Sally Rooney do an excellent job showing the reader why it was inevitable that Connell and Marianne were in each other’s lives, but she also did a brilliant job showing how each one grew and changed as individuals. In my own experience, I changed drastically from my senior year of high school to my senior year of college. Rooney wrote an authentic depiction of how experiences and life can change and shape a person within five years, especially in their undergraduate years. I loved the book, not only because I was invested in Connell and Marianne’s relationship, but also because I felt as though Rooney really understood what it meant to transition from an awkward 18 year old to a 23 year old beginning to experience their adult life.

I absolutely recommend Normal People. If you love romance stories, you’ll love this book. If you’re looking for a book that authentically depicts the transition from teenager to adulthood, this book is for you. If you want to know what life is like in Ireland, this book is for you. Normal People will be airing as a miniseries at the end of the month and I highly recommend that you read the book before the series airs.