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A review by willowbiblio
Normal People by Sally Rooney
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Their feelings were suppressed so carefully in everyday life, forced into smaller and smaller spaces, until seemingly minor events took on insane and frightening significance.”
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The first time I read this book, I loved it so much that I immediately reread it. This time I took more time with the text and somehow I loved it even more.
Connell and Marianne are people who are dealing with extremely difficult challenges and find solace and an unbreakable connection with one another. Rooney captured the impact of childhood abuse so well through Marianne‘s extreme self loathing and need to be harmed by others. I also felt so much empathy for Connell – his extreme social anxiety and depression led him to repeatedly push away one of the only people who truly saw and supported him.
I love that they grew into young adults and that we got to see them begin to learn a new way and heal separately and together.
I think Rooney’s stylistic choice to remove quotations somehow brought me closer to the story. It left so much room for the reader to interpret the tone of delivery – with much less “he exclaimed” or that kind of thing it became much more subjective than usual.
This read through I caught the title when Marianne asked what it would be like if they were normal people. I found that so interesting because in many ways they already are. We perceive that we are different in ways that are impossible to overcome only because we can’t communicate everything to anyone. They came close together, and that emotional intimacy was beautiful to read.
——————————-
The first time I read this book, I loved it so much that I immediately reread it. This time I took more time with the text and somehow I loved it even more.
Connell and Marianne are people who are dealing with extremely difficult challenges and find solace and an unbreakable connection with one another. Rooney captured the impact of childhood abuse so well through Marianne‘s extreme self loathing and need to be harmed by others. I also felt so much empathy for Connell – his extreme social anxiety and depression led him to repeatedly push away one of the only people who truly saw and supported him.
I love that they grew into young adults and that we got to see them begin to learn a new way and heal separately and together.
I think Rooney’s stylistic choice to remove quotations somehow brought me closer to the story. It left so much room for the reader to interpret the tone of delivery – with much less “he exclaimed” or that kind of thing it became much more subjective than usual.
This read through I caught the title when Marianne asked what it would be like if they were normal people. I found that so interesting because in many ways they already are. We perceive that we are different in ways that are impossible to overcome only because we can’t communicate everything to anyone. They came close together, and that emotional intimacy was beautiful to read.