Normal People

A Novel

NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED HULU ORIGINAL SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • “A stunning novel about the transformative power of relationships” (People) from the author of Conversations with Friends, “a master of the literary page-turner” (J. Courtney Sullivan).
 
“[A] novel that demands to be read compulsively, in one sitting.”—The Washington Post

ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE

TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: People, Slate, The New York Public Library, Harvard Crimson

Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At 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.

A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.

Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.
 
WINNER: The British Book Award, The Costa Book Award, The An Post Irish Novel of the Year, Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award

BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, The Paris Review, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country

A wonderful, frustrating read.

I attempted to read this book but couldn’t. Sally Rooney refuses to use punctuation which made it impossible. Listening to the book was much easier because the narrator’s voice conveyed the punctuation. It’s a great story with unlikely plot twists. The characters are frustratingly flawed. Good book. I recommend it.

The TV adaptation struck me so much more deeply

I love the story and the characters, but the writing is so spare to me as to seem like a screenplay (but with much less detail). I was so curious about how the book would read, given the extraordinary quality of the TV series and the great acclaim for the book. The TV series is emotionally lush; the book is the opposite. You have to fill in a LOT of holes if you're just reading the book. Perhaps this comes down to a style preference--I am drawn to characters and settings and scenes in which the writer takes me further along. But cheers to the characters and the story as portrayed in the filmed version--they will stay with me for a long time. So cheers to Sally Rooney for that.

Also, regarding the narration, Aoife McMahon is one of my favorite narrators in the field. I tend to seek her out. But I wasn't captivated by her this time. And I wish she would develop a higher skill in her non-Irish characters--the Swedish boyfriend in this novel had the exact same accent as the Hispanic man in one of the Dervla McTiernan mysteries. Neither accent was remotely 'on,' and it was a listening relief when those characters were done.

Terrible ending

Pretty interesting story with great characters but terrible ending. It’s like the author got bored with the story and just stopped writing it

Lovely gem about the complexity of relationships

This book thrilled me with its truth-telling and tenderness toward both main characters, even when -- especially when -- they were doing what we all do so often: getting in their own way, acting against their own best interests. It's rare to find a novel that is accessible, wise, funny, and has interesting narrative structure. I loved the way the story was told -- we dive into a scene, then rewind a bit to learn the backstory, then return to the scene and finish it. Rooney did this over and over, and I came to trust her to unpack the particulars of each moment in these two characters' lives. There were so many such moments that I recognized as uncomfortably familiar.

Honestly, I don't get what people don't get about this book. Perhaps those who disliked it wanted some bright rom-com that ended simply, neatly, and happily-ever-after. This narrative proceeds -- and ends (no spoilers) -- with a full-hearted and open-eyed look at how complex and ultimately life-changing (life-affirming, I'd even say) certain relationships can be. It's about love and how it triumphs over all the people, places, and events that inevitably come in its way. Love is messy, but strong. I feel as if this book was so positive and joyous in the end, but it earned its joy the hard way, not the cheap and easy way. Loved the narration as well. I do have a minor complaint about the voicing of some of the male voices, which didn't feel as generous as the writer clearly intended.

Didn't think it would suck me in....it did.

Wasnt sure what exactly I was getting into from catching one episode on hulu. Some points in the story are fustrating but others are so powerful it sucks you right in. My only problem is now I read and watched the series, I'm feeling empty on what to read next!