A review by tackysapphic
Normal People by Sally Rooney

4.0

Rating: 3.5 rounded up I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. It took me a while to get used to the writing style, what with the use of a second person pov and lack of quotation marks (seriously, what’s up with the lack of quotation marks?), but around page 60 I was more used to it and able to focus on the story. The story itself is interesting, and I like Marianne’s character. In some ways she reminds me of myself, withdrawn and bullied in high school with no friends, only to blossom socially in college despite her mental health issues. I was rooting for her, wanted her to get better and make better choices. To be honest, I don’t necessarily like Connell that much. He’s not badly written, he’s just a person I wouldn’t care for in real life if that makes sense. I think the way the story is told, in these brief scenes across months and years is a really interesting way to tell a story. I liked it. At first I was unsure how I felt about it because it didn’t really pull any strong feelings, but I’m realizing that I actually did like it and my initial hesitancy towards it is because it’s simply a story about two peoples lives. Very simple and straightforward, not trying to be some grandiose thing. Overall, an enjoyable read if not the most exciting story.