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A review by wildflowerfieldsforever
Normal People by Sally Rooney
3.0
This one is... frustrating. I don't really even know how many stars to give Normal People.
On one hand, I liked that the characters were not perfect. The relationships were not perfect. In that way, it was very real-life. This is *not* a rom-com, light and fluffy read. I find those books very annoying and not enjoyable; so on that side of my opinion, I appreciated that aspect very much. I kept listening because, despite my frustration, I was invested and I thought there was going to be an ending that at least hinted at Marianne and Connell getting better and figuring some things out.
However, there are a lot of damaged people in this book. Again, how very real. And, very bold of Sally Rooney to write this book... and, with no real redeeming ending to make it better. Yet again, despite myself, I appreciated that.
Normal People is also disturbing. Marianne's deep emotional issues coupled with how people (including Connell) treat her, is very difficult to watch unfold. I wanted to reach through the pages and tell her to GET HELP, this is *not* okay. Sometimes, I felt like Rooney was letting the writing indicate that Marianne's issues were okay. But, she also leaves the ending very open and while Connell and Marianne are very, very young. I hope that the Connell and Marianne that live within these pages both get the help they deserve.
On one hand, I liked that the characters were not perfect. The relationships were not perfect. In that way, it was very real-life. This is *not* a rom-com, light and fluffy read. I find those books very annoying and not enjoyable; so on that side of my opinion, I appreciated that aspect very much. I kept listening because, despite my frustration, I was invested and I thought there was going to be an ending that at least hinted at Marianne and Connell getting better and figuring some things out.
However, there are a lot of damaged people in this book. Again, how very real. And, very bold of Sally Rooney to write this book... and, with no real redeeming ending to make it better. Yet again, despite myself, I appreciated that.
Normal People is also disturbing. Marianne's deep emotional issues coupled with how people (including Connell) treat her, is very difficult to watch unfold. I wanted to reach through the pages and tell her to GET HELP, this is *not* okay. Sometimes, I felt like Rooney was letting the writing indicate that Marianne's issues were okay. But, she also leaves the ending very open and while Connell and Marianne are very, very young. I hope that the Connell and Marianne that live within these pages both get the help they deserve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence