Normal People

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Literary fiction (semi-romance)

Author: Sally Rooney

Favorite quotes: *Cut down quote (requires inference)

*Sally Rooney writes without quotation marks

“...ask Joanne if she finds it strange, to be paid for her hours at work-to exchange, in other words, blocks of her extremely limited time on this Earth for the human invention known as money. 

it's time you'll never get back, Marianne adds. I mean the time is real. 

The money is also real.

Well, but the time is more real. Time consists of physics, money is just a social construct (Rooney 112)”

“You’re not working, okay, but the time is passing for you too. You'll never get it back either.

But I can decide what I want to do with it.

To that I would venture that your decision making is also a social construct (Rooney 112).”

(I can’t possibly choose so these pages have more amazing quotes: 7, 29, 33, 80, 168, 219)

Summary: Normal People follows two characters: Connell and Marianne, during a period of core growth. Their relationship blossoms from an awkward imbalance of social and economic standing. Connell is known to be a popular, low-class, relatively quiet athlete. Marianne is an intelligent, high-class, student with the inability to verbally express opinions in a way that allows her to become communally accepted. Throughout the years, they discover new aspects of themselves and the reality of the world while finding comfort in shared socially pessimistic views. Their relationship continues to face multiple instances of miscommunication but remain eternally intertwined. Though it is based on the romantic relations between two people, I would consider it far from a romance book. It simply showcases the impact that they left on each other in ways that will forever remain as knowledge to only Connell and Marianne. This book provides insight into multiple political discussions through the lenses of two normal people navigating life. 

*Minor spoilers even though this book doesn’t really have a plot

My thoughts: It feels safe to say that this book has utterly and completely exceeded my expectations. I did indeed hear beforehand that Sally Rooney has a very distinct way of writing. That uniqueness seems to be the ability to induce questions into the life of reader’s. I tabbed this book an unusual amount of times, attempting to absorb all the knowledge and opinions stated that can shockingly be related to the lives of many individuals, including my own. 

The main theme I felt was portrayed in this book is the complexity of human emotions, and the question “what is a normal person?” It challenges the definition of which we correlate with a normal person in society and whether or not someone as mentally deranged as the main characters would fit into that wide yet seemingly limited category. 

Marianne is who I consider to be one of the most admirable personalities I have ever read about. I say all of this knowing that if I were to meet her in real life, she may just as well be the most irritating person to ever exist. She always speaks her mind about political topics that appear to be used in an attempt to seem more educated and of higher status. That is what was so amazing about Sally Rooney's writing. She was able to delve into the minor insignificant thoughts and intentions of characters to make us contemplate whether the personalities that we find irritating are at fault, or if we are simply insecure for feeling that way. In this particular comparison, my inability to trust that someone can truly be interested in things without the need for validation, and the frequent tendency for that to be true amongst who I surround myself with, is why I came to develop that opinion. It takes talented writing to stir up such emotion in readers which is why I will forever be a Sally enthusiast. 

By the end of the book, I was heavily affected by the idea that Connell and Marianne may not end up together. I wasn’t sure if my emotionally induced sobbing was because of the un-earthly desire for this book to be 5 stars or if I truly was that upset. The writing is very simple in dialogue which showcases the parallel of who you know as a person and how they actually are. Connell is described to seem simple, and quiet. While in reality, his personality is much more intricate and developed. This novel was dangerous as I found myself becoming wildly pessimistic halfway through reading. I heavily recommend this book for all the thought daughters and sons that need to rediscover what it means to have yet another quarter life crisis.