Normal People

 Title: Normal People

Author: Sally Rooney

Genre: Young Adult (coming of age), fiction

Blurb:

Normal People is a coming of age story told through the life of two polar opposite individuals as they learn about emotions, specifically, love, and loss, and most importantly: self-acceptance. 

My Review:

Connell and Marianne don't seem to make sense as a couple on paper.  He's popular, and athletic. She's an opinionated introvert. They come from very different backgrounds, and want very different things for their lives, and yet...there is something that just continues to draw them back together time and again. I loved the way the author told this story through only fleeting moments in the character's lives. Though they spent much time apart, all we see is the time they spent physically together or thinking about the other.  The moments they are simply in the same place, at the same time, are some of the happiest in the entire book, but unfortunately they are continuously drawn apart.  When reading I felt like the only color in there lives was when they were happily together, otherwise they walked day-to-day in a world of black and white. Alive, but not really living.  Rooney's novel really emphasizes that you need to appreciate the people in life that make you happy. Connell and Marianne are perfect for each other, but it takes them a long time to realize that when they overthink their situation or worry about the opinions of others. At the end of the day, love is all you need. After love the rest will just fall into place. 

I did only give this a 3 star rating because it was annoying for me to read when none of the spoken lines are in quotations.  It was sometimes hard to tell if the character was speaking or thinking. The writing was also a little crude and dry for my taste, but believe it fits the perspectives and personalities of the main characters well.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5