A review by eudoxia_yar
Normal People by Sally Rooney

dark emotional relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had a hard time with this book, initially. This book was mammoth -- the hype, the community, and the communication around it. Trying to get into this book should not have been so hard, it's inviting and invigorating. I worried about this book and how it ended: I prayed that I'd liked it, like anything other than that would have been a sin. Fifty percent in, this book proved to be fast-paced despite the meandering way the narration is presented.

It's very much a modern classic: a coming of age book about life, love, friendship, sex, and what it actually means to grow-up. 

Addendum: The reason why I did not find the characters lovable because of how innately human they are. Do you love the reflection that watches over you as you vomit over the sink from one night of partying? There is a resentment I felt for both Marianne, and Connell. This later morphed into empathy, sympathy, and, at the end, pride. 
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