Normal People

I'm currently reading Normal People by Sally Rooney and it's everything my wannabe hipster, coming-of-age obsessed self would enjoy. The story centers on Connell and Marianne, two Irish teenagers with ~issues~. Connell is outwardly confident and cool, but inside seems to have no grasp on who he truly is. Meanwhile, Marianne is an outspoken loner who doesn't pay attention to anyone else's opinion.

As they grow up, from high school to college and beyond, the readers observe their connection develop and change as they live life both together and apart.

This is exactly the kind of book I would have found groundbreaking when I was like 17 and obsessed with Tumblr. But that aside, I do find Normal People to be genuinely well done. The pace moves quickly and I feel like it doesn't take forever to "get to the point." The plot is "simple" but is about complex characters so it's both relatable but intriguing.

I am invested in who Marianne and Connell will become in life, which to me is the most important part of enjoying any story. I worried at first that Marianne, the interesting, ~different~ introvert would end up being a manic pixie dream girl to help Connell find his identity. But so far, that hasn't happened.

One off thing is that Rooney uses a strange, signature dialogue structure without quotation marks that I thought I would hate but actually don’t mind.

Even though I'm only halfway through, I can already tell that I would read this book again. I'm zooming through because I want to watch the show on Hulu. I recommend the novel if you like books about love that are realistic rather than romantic. Also, if you're interested in Ireland. The story takes places around the country and the characters attend Trinity College in Dublin.

The author, Sally Rooney, has won numerous awards for her writing and I'm always fascinated by people not that much older than me who have already achieved so much. She wrote her first novel, Conversations With Friends, while getting her masters and completed 100,000 words in three months. Okay Sally. She is blowing up in the literary world right now and I'm here for it. She has been hailed by The New Yorker as "the first great millennial novelist."

Further Reading:

•Anna Russell from The New Yorker gives her take on the show.

•Vanity Fair on Sally Rooney's success and the unexpected popularity that's come with it.

•There's tons of articles and videos online because the show/book is getting a lot of buzz right now (especially for the sex scenes). I can't read them because I don't want any spoilers, but check them out for yourself!