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A review by chapterfern
Normal People by Sally Rooney
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sad, frustrating, gut-wrenching.
Normal People is a novel about Marianne and Connell; who they are, what that makes of them, how they cope, their familiarity with each other, and ultimately, how they grow – alone, apart, and together.
Everyone wants to be a normal person. But a normal person is flawed, imperfect, and makes mistakes. In that sense, Marianne and Connell — even though they consider themselves faulty human beings, — are normal people.
I found the dialogue in this book realistic. In their conversations, sometimes messages to and from one another are conveyed or interpreted poorly, and others the characters leave unsaid. And yes, it is frustrated to be the third-party as a reader and know what's wrong, and you want to go through the page so bad and help them, but we are left to sit there and watch them figure it out on their own. Many a time while reading this book I physically wanted to scream from their stupidity, but I am guilty all the same.
The book not only lends us conversations between the two leads, but also has one with the reader; about class, about connection, about imposter syndrome, about abuse, about mental health, and about loss.
Even without or maybe as a result of not having quotation marks, the feeling of being inside the character's head shines throughout the book. I would read passages and get snapped back into the conversation ongoing, which really made me feel like I was with the character in that exact moment, thinking the same things and living the same experiences.
Overall, this book crushed me. I think I need to lie down.
Normal People is a novel about Marianne and Connell; who they are, what that makes of them, how they cope, their familiarity with each other, and ultimately, how they grow – alone, apart, and together.
Everyone wants to be a normal person. But a normal person is flawed, imperfect, and makes mistakes. In that sense, Marianne and Connell — even though they consider themselves faulty human beings, — are normal people.
I found the dialogue in this book realistic. In their conversations, sometimes messages to and from one another are conveyed or interpreted poorly, and others the characters leave unsaid. And yes, it is frustrated to be the third-party as a reader and know what's wrong, and you want to go through the page so bad and help them, but we are left to sit there and watch them figure it out on their own. Many a time while reading this book I physically wanted to scream from their stupidity, but I am guilty all the same.
The book not only lends us conversations between the two leads, but also has one with the reader; about class, about connection, about imposter syndrome, about abuse, about mental health, and about loss.
Even without or maybe as a result of not having quotation marks, the feeling of being inside the character's head shines throughout the book. I would read passages and get snapped back into the conversation ongoing, which really made me feel like I was with the character in that exact moment, thinking the same things and living the same experiences.
Overall, this book crushed me. I think I need to lie down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts