Normal People

This book made me cry a lot.

Connell and Marianne pretend to be strangers at school. She is a brilliant student, but considered cold aloof and weird by mates. He is popular, handsome and star of the school soccer team. Their public dynamic is slightly weird as Connell's mother works as a housekeeper in Marianne's house. On a private level, they have an electric connection at many levels of their existence.The story spans out around their school, college and work. Secrets are revealed, insecurities are faced and relationship lines blurred. I found myself arrested by Ms. Rooney's sparing prose. Something very unique in her style that kept me captivated throughout. There were several lines I felt compelled to highlight and go back to.The characters are intense, complex and flawed just like the title describes them; they are but normal people. Themes touched upon are love, friendship, mental health, dysfunctional families and societal pressures.The relationship graph between the Connell and Marianne is handled with proficiency and precision. The descriptions of their lifestyles enhance the plot further on. What i enjoyed immensely were conversations and chemistry between the protagonists. The supporting characters also added weight as the story progressed.Perhaps the only thing I didn't find palatable very much was the depressing, dissociative element in the characters. Only because maybe I read this not at the right time. I believe that too matters. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Rooney.

Book: Normal PeopleAuthor: Sally RooneyPages: 284Genre: Novel (Romance)Sally Rooney is an Irish author. This is her second written book that became a best seller in the US, selling almost 64K copies in its first four months of publishing.It is an easy-to-read book and appropriate for beginners. A love story of Marianne and Connell, with a few emotional ups and downs, with some bitter and sweet moments they face together.Marianne belongs to a wealthy family, Connell’s mother Lorraine; works at her place as a maid. Marianne and Connell both are studying in the same school. Marianne is quite introverted and not at all friendly with anyone in the outside world as she is facing some emotional trauma in her own house. She is living with an abusive brother and a busy working mom who doesn’t even care about her. But she is excellent with her academics and indeed a brainy girl. She admires and adores Connell. Connell too is a smart and intelligent lad and has friends too.Connell sees Marianne while picking his mother up from her house. They formally talk and eventually, develop a bond that brings them closer. From school to college and from college to career, many times they unite and fall apart. Despite having a very good understanding between them sometimes they fail to express their emotions. Not only lovers they are best of friends and always stand by each other in the time of need.It is a sweet light story with no heartbreaks or any heart-wrenching scenes. It does have some sloppy rides but it won’t spoil the readers’ happy reading mood. The characters in the book are relatable to today’s generation. It will hardly take 5 hours to finish the book. Preferable to read on weekends or holidays or while traveling as it doesn’t demand an attentive mind to read.

Book review: Normal People by Sally Rooney"Life is a thing you bring with you inside your own head."Connell comes from a working class family, quite famous at his high school and is much loved by his friends. Whereas, Marianne belonging to an upper class family, is a loner and much hated. They both seem distant at school, but when they meet after school hours, they are completely different people. What seems to be a purely sexual relationship soon turns platonic. Over a period of time, sometimes together, sometimes far apart, we see Connell and Marianne finding solace in each other's company despite of multiple challenges they both face.Read this book for its- 1. Writing: Different timelines for each chapter, yet the way she has written this book, nothing seems amiss. The chapter starts in the present, but comes full circle, keeping us in the loop with the whole story. 2. Characters: Yes, Connell and Marianne are unbelievably frustrating at times, especially when it comes to their relationship with each other, but that makes them even more relatable and real. You can't help but root for them, even though you might've never been in the same shoes. 3. Plot: Rooney has captured the complexities of every relationship beautifully. I know, sometimes their relationship seemed too dramatic, yet time and again, she has given us the whole picture as to why they are-the way they are! 4. Ending: "All these years, they've been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certainly unlikely positions." This might seem like a story of two messed up people, complicating their lives with sex rather than acknowledging what they mean to each other. But I love how their stories come together in the end, how their bond is stronger than ever and how much they've changed each other, along with supporting one another.My only concern was Marianne's dynamics with her family, I wish it was explored more.I am so glad I read this one despite of all the mixed reviews that I came across. I get the hype for this one, positive or negative, this book definitely grabs your attention! 5🌟