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lynnns 's review for:
Normal People
by Sally Rooney
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Normal People follows Marianne & Connell through years of love, lust, and the kind of chronic miscommunication that could power the entire city of Dublin if converted into energy.
This pair spend 300+ pages ping-ponging between “we’re soulmates” and “I can’t possibly speak to you like a normal human.” Honestly, if these two just had one honest conversation, it would’ve been a novella.
The book deals with serious issues like abuse, self-destructive behaviour and mental health. These are repeating patterns throughout, but it never quite dives deep enough for me. We see events play out, but we don’t get much insight beyond “this happened, oh well.”
Most of the other characters barely register. The rich ones are either cartoonishly awful or vacant and indifferent. The only people that truly matter here are the skinny, beautiful and ‘different’ Marianne and Connell. Trapped in their endless loop of angsty longing, misunderstandings, and awkward silences.
That said, Sally Rooney’s writing is genuinely good. Her commentary on class and privilege is sharp, the dialogue is often witty, and even when her characters veer into pretentious territory, the prose remains grounded and clever.
But omg Connell and Marianne’s relationship is so annoying. That miscommunication trope turned up to a hundred. The writing was compelling enough to keep me reading, but I spent half the book irritated, feeling like screaming at the two of them.
This pair spend 300+ pages ping-ponging between “we’re soulmates” and “I can’t possibly speak to you like a normal human.” Honestly, if these two just had one honest conversation, it would’ve been a novella.
The book deals with serious issues like abuse, self-destructive behaviour and mental health. These are repeating patterns throughout, but it never quite dives deep enough for me. We see events play out, but we don’t get much insight beyond “this happened, oh well.”
Most of the other characters barely register. The rich ones are either cartoonishly awful or vacant and indifferent. The only people that truly matter here are the skinny, beautiful and ‘different’ Marianne and Connell. Trapped in their endless loop of angsty longing, misunderstandings, and awkward silences.
That said, Sally Rooney’s writing is genuinely good. Her commentary on class and privilege is sharp, the dialogue is often witty, and even when her characters veer into pretentious territory, the prose remains grounded and clever.
But omg Connell and Marianne’s relationship is so annoying. That miscommunication trope turned up to a hundred. The writing was compelling enough to keep me reading, but I spent half the book irritated, feeling like screaming at the two of them.