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A review by mrtvavrana
Normal People by Sally Rooney
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
“I don't know what's wrong with me, says Marianne. I don't know why I can't be like normal people.”
Normal People is a book I have heard a lot about from friends and from strangers. While at first it did not seem quite entertaining, the book quickly sucked me in. Unfortunately, the title is quite misleading. This book was not about normal people; it was about two very toxic and mentally ill individuals and a bunch of uninteresting people around them.
I could not find a single character I would like. On top of that, Marianne is a manic pixie/tumblrina and a victim who needs a good therapist, and Connel is so bland and manipulative and deserves to be kicked in the balls. Repeatedly. The other characters were so underdeveloped and one-dimensional that I can hardly remember them. And I have so many unanswered questions, like, Why is Marianne´s brother such a cunt? What the hell is wrong with her mother? Why does nobody step in and help Marianne or Connel during the entire book?
While I absolutely adore Sally Rooney as a person, Normal People is making me reconsider ever picking up another book by her. The whole story felt like going in circles to me. The same things kept happening over and over again, and I still don’t understand what was supposed to be the point or goal of it all. It was just two toxic people being pulled together at random times.
It took me more than a month to think of what to write in this review. I kept trying to find positives, but all I could think of was the style it was written in and the pacing. And, well, Sally Rooney herself.
Normal People is a book I have heard a lot about from friends and from strangers. While at first it did not seem quite entertaining, the book quickly sucked me in. Unfortunately, the title is quite misleading. This book was not about normal people; it was about two very toxic and mentally ill individuals and a bunch of uninteresting people around them.
I could not find a single character I would like. On top of that, Marianne is a manic pixie/tumblrina and a victim who needs a good therapist, and Connel is so bland and manipulative and deserves to be kicked in the balls. Repeatedly. The other characters were so underdeveloped and one-dimensional that I can hardly remember them. And I have so many unanswered questions, like, Why is Marianne´s brother such a cunt? What the hell is wrong with her mother? Why does nobody step in and help Marianne or Connel during the entire book?
While I absolutely adore Sally Rooney as a person, Normal People is making me reconsider ever picking up another book by her. The whole story felt like going in circles to me. The same things kept happening over and over again, and I still don’t understand what was supposed to be the point or goal of it all. It was just two toxic people being pulled together at random times.
It took me more than a month to think of what to write in this review. I kept trying to find positives, but all I could think of was the style it was written in and the pacing. And, well, Sally Rooney herself.