THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER

The TV miniseries adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People is a book lover’s dream. The adaptation stayed true to the book, with dialogue translated verbatim from page to screen, and interactions described beautifully in the book, played out just as I had imagined them. The were a few changes and added scenes, but everything new in the miniseries added to the story in a constructive way.   Each chapter of the book centered around one scene, told from either  Connell or Marianne’s perspective, with mentions to events that had happened since the last chapter. While I loved this unique style of storytelling in the book, I wondered if the TV show would take the same approach. Sometimes, it did, setting up a scene and then flashing back months later, catching the viewer up. I thought it was done wonderfully and I’m glad that it wasn’t done for every episode, just when it was needed, like when Connell was meeting with the therapist.   I also loved how scenes that we...

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...