Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Normal People by Sally Rooney

 genre: contemporary fiction

There are a lot of reasons why Marianne and Connell shouldn't be friends - she's awkward at school while he's popular.  She's wealthy and he's far from it, his mother clean's Marianne's house, for heaven's sakes.  But somehow, something deep between these two young people clicks and whatever that "thing" is, it's real and desperate to not be forgotten.  So even as they grow up and apart, that thing is still there, waiting to be taken care of.

I hadn't heard any of the hype about this book when it came out, which I think helps me to have a more balance view of it, based on some of the reviews I scanned through.  I chose it because it takes place in Ireland, honestly, and while that lovely country is the setting, it's not particularly meaningful.  This story could've taken place anywhere - because this is a story about people, not a place.  Marianne has some very deep trauma, which we get a sense about and a few examples of, but mostly we are left to extrapolate her issues based on her behaviors with men. Connell for sure has his own stuff, and sometimes he is truly an exasperating character with his on again off again inability to just say what he actually wants.  But I think why this book didn't drive me nuts is the fact that it felt super real. People ARE weird and frustrating like that.  People's trauma DOES make them behave in ways that can be upsetting or misunderstood.  The idea of "normal" and wanting to be "normal" but not even knowing how to make that happen or if you could be happy there, these ideas captured my attention.

I actually do think it was well written. I read it with a pen and found more than one idea that really resonated, more than one line of text that really was lovely or poignant.  It's not perfect and it's not for everyone but I do think there is some powerful stuff here.

CW: abuse, sexual scenes. language

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