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A review by nothingforpomegranted
Normal People by Sally Rooney
5.0
This book drew me in slowly and then absolutely captivated me and catapulted me straight through to the quiet, tragic end.
This is a love story, following Marianne and Connell from high school through college and into the earliest years of young adulthood. Perhaps my being in such a similar season of life deeply influenced my reception of this book, but regardless, I thought that this quiet story was immensely powerful. There is tension and angst, but every moment is infused with a sense of profound love. Marianne and Connell can't let go of each other, and every push and pull of their relationship tugged at my heartstrings.
The story doesn't build drama or reach a particular climax, but I was wholly immersed in their world and their lives nonetheless. The chapters jump a couple weeks or a couple months at a time, showcasing the key pivotal moments in Marianne and Connell's relationship, and as much as these two characters seem to exist as individuals, their relationship functions as its own entity, the ultimate protagonist of this story. As such, the reviews that take issue with the fact that Connell and Marianne seem not to have grown as characters much throughout the course of the novel don't resonate with me much. After all, the relationship between the two definitely grew and developed--from an expression of sexual curiosity to a loving friendship (still with uncertain sexual undertones). Furthermore, the entire story takes place over only 5 years. Marianne and Connell are still very young adults with (hopefully) many years ahead of them. I don't anticipate (or desire) that Rooney will write a sequel to this novel, but I do think that we need to temper our expectations of 22-year-olds, even in novels. Of course, they suffer from unnecessary miscommunication. Of course, they can't figure out if they love each other romantically or platonically or if their attraction to each other is genuine or just habit.
This book is a realistic, beautiful, sometimes devastating portrayal of "normal people," precisely what I crave in a brief literary back-to-school novel.
This is a love story, following Marianne and Connell from high school through college and into the earliest years of young adulthood. Perhaps my being in such a similar season of life deeply influenced my reception of this book, but regardless, I thought that this quiet story was immensely powerful. There is tension and angst, but every moment is infused with a sense of profound love. Marianne and Connell can't let go of each other, and every push and pull of their relationship tugged at my heartstrings.
The story doesn't build drama or reach a particular climax, but I was wholly immersed in their world and their lives nonetheless. The chapters jump a couple weeks or a couple months at a time, showcasing the key pivotal moments in Marianne and Connell's relationship, and as much as these two characters seem to exist as individuals, their relationship functions as its own entity, the ultimate protagonist of this story. As such, the reviews that take issue with the fact that Connell and Marianne seem not to have grown as characters much throughout the course of the novel don't resonate with me much. After all, the relationship between the two definitely grew and developed--from an expression of sexual curiosity to a loving friendship (still with uncertain sexual undertones). Furthermore, the entire story takes place over only 5 years. Marianne and Connell are still very young adults with (hopefully) many years ahead of them. I don't anticipate (or desire) that Rooney will write a sequel to this novel, but I do think that we need to temper our expectations of 22-year-olds, even in novels. Of course, they suffer from unnecessary miscommunication. Of course, they can't figure out if they love each other romantically or platonically or if their attraction to each other is genuine or just habit.
This book is a realistic, beautiful, sometimes devastating portrayal of "normal people," precisely what I crave in a brief literary back-to-school novel.