Title: Normal People
Author: Sally Rooney
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Star Rating: ★★★★★
Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but the similarities end there. In school, Connell is popular and well-liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation – awkward but electrifying – something life-changing begins.
This is hands-down my favourite book of this year. I’m that excited about it, I don’t even know where to start this review. The main characters, Connell and Marianne, were so realistically depicted, so complex, multi-layered, and how they look at the world around them is how everyone should- or at least be enlightened to look at the world a little differently, thanks to this book. It’s the heart-wrenching story of two people- who are, at heart, outsiders- but because of this, they’re never lonely when they’re together. Two people who try to stay apart, only to learn that they cannot. They both have their own inner demons, which only intensify as they age: Connell struggles with anxiety and later, depression, and Marianne has a troubled home-life which has left her with low self-worth and what she describes as a ‘coldness’. What I found truly fascinating though was the psychology behind the characters; it made me delve inside and wonder: why do we make the decisions we do?
I haven’t read Rooney’s debut yet, Conversations with Friends, but I love her writing style so much that I’m going to add it to my TBR pile. I only have one last thing to say and that is: if you only read one book this year, choose Normal People.
Happy reading!