A review by margozaldivar
Normal People by Sally Rooney

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sally Rooney’s second novel, Normal People, is the notion of love under capitalism in the guise of a book. It follows Marianne and Connell– people from two entirely different worlds. Marianne comes from a wealthy family and Connell knows the currency of intelligence. Marianne is distant from their peers, while Connell is well-liked. When they both attend college, the roles are reversed, thus the start of scenes revolving around class differences, reforming politics, and inequalities. The book coats these topics using prose on love and friendship. Rooney describes Marianne and Connell as "two people who, over the course of several years, apparently could not leave one another alone."

I felt nothing short of love and empathy for both Marianne and Connell. The back and forth perspective was a visceral implication on how humans will never get to truly know each other. Because of the slightly confusing writing style, reading the book takes effort, but I was so invested in the plot that I didn't really mind. I found myself caring for the characters, connecting with them. I loved how raw Marianne and Connel’s relationship was– from the miscommunication to the way they understood each other. There are so many layers to digest and to say that I adore the book is an understatement. Upon reading Sally Rooney's other novels, Conversations With Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You after the gem that is Normal People, I noticed that her writing is also so distinctly herself. She writes about the human experience so well.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings