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A review by enokiii
Normal People by Sally Rooney
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I liked the format of this book; I felt that the flow of the story worked nicely with the way time moved. We would witness a moment of their relationship, skip a few months, and then see how that moment caused a progression rather than watching the progression itself. Spelled out that might sound lazy, but I think it worked. At times, I did find the two main characters relatable, specifically in their struggle to find where they fit into the adult world. It was poignant to me as a college student. There were also moments I found them annoying and deeply flawed, though I suppose that just made them feel more like real people.
My biggest gripe had to do with the relationship itself. Marianne is clearly a very traumatized and insecure person (for all Connell says she isn't, she is definitely full of insecurities) and throughout the book this only gets worse with the relationships she finds herself in. I didn't like that Connell was posed as the better alternative to a bunch of shittier guys. Sure, maybe he is 'better', but he lacks a level of emotional maturity and self-awareness. Every time he gets an inkling of how he might actually be negatively impacting Marianne, he doesn't look further. He just acknowledges it and moves on. On the surface this isn't a bad thing--I love books that focus solely on characters' dynamics and relationships, even if they're toxic or bad for them. However, this didn't do it for me, because it all felt very surface-level. The writing style and form, or perhaps the author herself, didn't allow for a deeper look into the characters. I especially didn't like how every Marianne section was either entirely centered around Connell or a different situation that would further traumatize her. I felt I was learning way more about Connell and his development than Marianne, which again, is not necessarily a bad thing if it was only from his perspective. It could have said something about how he views her. However, she had her own moments to develop, positively or negatively, and I don't think these were utilized as well as Connell's. When I got to the end, I kind of felt like I had only read half the story. An ambiguous ending could very well have worked with this narrative, but because of the way it had been developed for the past 200 pages, it just felt lazy. Like, a 'you come up with your own ending,' kind of thing. Overall, I didn't hate it, but it left me wanting something more.
My biggest gripe had to do with the relationship itself. Marianne is clearly a very traumatized and insecure person (for all Connell says she isn't, she is definitely full of insecurities) and throughout the book this only gets worse with the relationships she finds herself in. I didn't like that Connell was posed as the better alternative to a bunch of shittier guys. Sure, maybe he is 'better', but he lacks a level of emotional maturity and self-awareness. Every time he gets an inkling of how he might actually be negatively impacting Marianne, he doesn't look further. He just acknowledges it and moves on. On the surface this isn't a bad thing--I love books that focus solely on characters' dynamics and relationships, even if they're toxic or bad for them. However, this didn't do it for me, because it all felt very surface-level. The writing style and form, or perhaps the author herself, didn't allow for a deeper look into the characters. I especially didn't like how every Marianne section was either entirely centered around Connell or a different situation that would further traumatize her. I felt I was learning way more about Connell and his development than Marianne, which again, is not necessarily a bad thing if it was only from his perspective. It could have said something about how he views her. However, she had her own moments to develop, positively or negatively, and I don't think these were utilized as well as Connell's. When I got to the end, I kind of felt like I had only read half the story. An ambiguous ending could very well have worked with this narrative, but because of the way it had been developed for the past 200 pages, it just felt lazy. Like, a 'you come up with your own ending,' kind of thing. Overall, I didn't hate it, but it left me wanting something more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship