A review by mila_laureyssen
Normal People by Sally Rooney

emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Normal People tells the story of Marianne and Connell, two people who grow close during the final days of secondary school. As they move on to college and careers, the two struggle to make sense of their relationship and their feelings for one another.


This book was very difficult for me to get into. I would mostly dread everytime I would have to read it. I think it’s because it was quite boring and the same things kept happening. The on and off relationship between Marianne and Connell was frustrating sometimes.

The writing style annoyed me as well. Every chapter was a time jump meaning we would miss several months. Which was disorienting. Also the lack of quotation marks bothered me. It was hard to tell when someone was talking and who was talking.

The side-characters were badly developed as in they were mostly one dimensional regarding their personality. Although the conversations felt realistic and were nice to read.

I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone. It is a very specific audience that would like this sort of book, which I don't think any of my acquaintances are part of.

In conclusion, unlike what it may look like I don’t find this book the worst i have read but it was not in my interest and quite boring in my opinion.

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