A review by ida
Normal People by Sally Rooney

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

2.0

I'm not sure what I expected of this book, but I certainly didn't get it. I think I had the idea, that it would be a love story at it's core, one where we would check in every few years or so, like 'One Day' by David Nicholls (which I loved). 

But this is so bleak. Pretty much every relationship, be it romantic or platonic is toxic in some way or other, and there is just nothing to brighten the story, there is no joy. 

I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters, despite actually knowing pretty much everything about them. Or maybe it's because there's next to no character development, I truly feel their lives (and the book) would continue with this push/pull relationship, where honestly it just makes me tired. 

It's a short-ish book, 264 pages and it has taken me 11 days to read... I don't know what it is, but the other night, I only had the last 26 pages to go AND I DIDN'T FINISH IT! It was just so bleak and I don't know if that's why it's been hailed as this amazing novel, but it just didn't do it for me. 
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