Book Review: Normal People by Sally Rooney

---

My Review

Sally Rooney is an author who doesn’t need an introduction. Her books have grown very popular in the book community, and even those who don’t read are likely to have heard of her. I was very excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint.

Normal People follows Marianne and Connell through four years of their young adult lives in Ireland. Both of them couldn’t be more unlike and alike to each other. Marianne comes from a wealthy, cold-hearted family, while Connell is raised by his loving single mother, who cleans Marianne’s house. Their worlds collide, and gradually the pair fall in love. The pressures of life and the troubles brought on by living in a small town pry them apart. Over the next four years, we’ll see how they’re brought back together over and over again, sometimes at the cost of ongoing relationships with other people. 

It was easy to connect with the characters. Especially Marianne, whom I was able to relate to throughout the book. Through Marianne and Connell, Rooney explored a variety of themes and nuances. Capitalism through relationships, self-worth, and the idea of growth through life experiences. I think these were examined in a beautiful way that highlighted a moral tale that we can all take away.

Normal people is not a conventional romance and, in some people’s eyes, not a love story at all. It tells a story about life, growing up, and accepting change. I liked that the misunderstandings were not silly situations that could have been resolved if the characters had just spoken to one another. Instead, they reflected real misunderstandings caused by the intricacies of human life. 

I cannot deny that Normal People is an incredible read, but I do have a few grievances. One of those is the writing style. While I believe that the author’s decision to omit quotation marks was a bold, unique creative choice, I found it difficult to follow the story at times as the dialogue and thoughts blended. It was almost always clear whether we were seeing the world from the perspective of Marianne or Connell, but when multiple characters were involved, it became difficult to figure out who was speaking. You just have to push past the lack of quotation marks and enjoy the larger story being told.

I also felt that the story dragged at times, and I became completely lost. I found myself skipping pages and having to come back. Honestly, initially, when I read this book, I was unable to understand the point of the story. However, as I let the story sink in, I found that it did resonate with me, and my confusion turned into understanding. 

Normal People is a beautiful story about how two people can profoundly impact each other over a lifetime, and if you enjoy those kinds of books too, then you will enjoy this book (as long as you can get past the lack of quotation marks). This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Rooney, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future!

Buy this book: