A review by xyzsai
Normal People by Sally Rooney

sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This book was really tough to read as someone with similar life experience as Marianne. So for personal reasons, I hated the book, it made me sick to my stomach. Every time something happened to Marianne I felt like it happened to me/will happen to me and that’s scary. That’s the only reason I rated it this high, because it made me feel such a strong emotion, but that emotion has left me disgusted with myself. I didn’t like the authors message, it felt like she was dictating a path for this character, and it’s such an overdone take on a traumatized character, done so graphically, it’s hard to see. All I felt the whole time is “you are bound to your circumstances”. I do think this is a realistic depiction of abuse and it’s affects, I just wish there was more hope and change present. Marianne didn’t really grow in that regard and it was horrifying to see that.
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