A review by gabttap
Normal People by Sally Rooney

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

5.0

"it's funny the decisions you make because you like someone, he says, and then your whole life is different. i think we're at that weird age where life can change a lot from small decisions."

i was talking about this book with a friend a few days ago and i came to the conclusion that all the empty spaces left throughout the story made perfect sense for me. the empty spaces can be lack of depth, sure, but they were also what made me connect so much - i filled the emptiness with my own life and my own experiences. where connell and marianne's narrative ended, began my own, in between theirs.

it was a hard read and simultaneously not hard at all, and i could make sense of everything that'd bother if it had been written anywhere else - and by anyone else. it was hard to rate, too, but not giving it 5 stars would be unfair to how much it made me feel, think, relate.

normal people is truly unlike anything else, and i know i'll take connell and marianne with me for a really long time.
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