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A review by estellegodard
Normal People by Sally Rooney
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found this book pretty enjoyable to read but I did not find the character study to be earth shattering at all. a lot of these sentiments were familiar to me already and it thematically didn’t feel like anything ground breaking; very overhyped book.
the very last chapter of the book was the most clear-cut depiction of the protagonists’s relationship and the way each views love. but all in all, I never felt convinced of their affection for eachother nor of the complexities and obstacles they faced. the entire time it feels like we are circling around the main point this novel is trying to make, yet we never truly achieve it.
lastly, it also felt like many characters were meant to be unlikable but we were never given a proper motive , like alan for example. many of the peripheral characters were one-dimensional even though they play a pretty big role in each of the protagonists’s developmental arc.
overall, I would say this is a very middle of the road book that doesn’t provide much human relatability at all, despite that seemingly being the point.
the very last chapter of the book was the most clear-cut depiction of the protagonists’s relationship and the way each views love. but all in all, I never felt convinced of their affection for eachother nor of the complexities and obstacles they faced. the entire time it feels like we are circling around the main point this novel is trying to make, yet we never truly achieve it.
lastly, it also felt like many characters were meant to be unlikable but we were never given a proper motive , like alan for example. many of the peripheral characters were one-dimensional even though they play a pretty big role in each of the protagonists’s developmental arc.
overall, I would say this is a very middle of the road book that doesn’t provide much human relatability at all, despite that seemingly being the point.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Mental illness