Recommended by Matthew Ainsby
Normal People, by Sally Rooney, explores the story, particularly the relationship, of two Irish teenagers named Connell and Marianne, as they grow up and explores their experiences of life in a world distinct and separate to that of their peers, from their point of view.
The journey the characters embark on commences with their final year of secondary school and continues for three more years, during which time the teenagers are given an insight into the world of university life and the stark contrast Rooney presents from their home town of Carricklea. Rooney’s novel can be described as a readable page-turner, with relatable characters living and experiencing realistic events in Dublin, linking to the title Normal People, leaving the reader intrigued through its depiction of class, and portrayal of Connell and Marianne’s unexpected and ever-changing relationship.
From the outset of the novel, Rooney introduces the theme of class to the reader when introducing the characters. Lorraine, Connell’s mother, works as a cleaner at Marianne’s mansion, ultimately displaying the social classes of both families. It is interesting to note also Rooney’s deliberate choice of making both families incomplete, with both teens lacking a father and the respective family’s response to this. The affectionate and intimate relationship Connell shares with his mother strongly contrasts with the relationship Marianne, her brother Alan and her mother share - one dominated by hostility and hatred. The polar opposite lives of their mothers subtly sets a precedent and foreshadows how the relationship between Connell and Marianne will be hindered in some sense.
The idea of Connell and Marianne being quite different is extended through Rooney’s portrayal of the two at school and university. In Carricklea, Connell is regarded as sporty and popular, a direct contrast to Marianne who is constantly alone and isolated. However, despite their apparent social differences in these two aspects of their lives, the one thing that links them is their desire not to conform with the social norms of their peers. Connell and Marianne’s clandestine relationship remains so due to Connell’s perceived notion of how his friends would react to this, demonstrating how he feels dependent on the acceptance of others in order to fit in with others. Ultimately when Connell discovers, after it is too late, that nobody would have cared about the relationship, it can be seen as the climax of Connell’s ever-increasing realisation that this period of his life tainted the prospect of living a ‘normal’ life with Marianne. Interestingly for the reader, the statuses of both characters are subverted when at university: Marianne becomes popular and Connell becomes isolated with a lack of real friends. Rooney’s choice for this to occur develops the complexity behind the constantly changing relationship between the two, and highlights how dependent Marianne is on her own self-esteem.
One of the most interesting and exciting moments of the novel, in my opinion, was the climax of built up anger at the dinner party in Italy. Marianne and her boyfriend at the time, Jamie, start an argument in which Marianne intends to hit Jamie as a result of his provocation, however Connell’s intervention and ability to calm Marianne down and support her further demonstrates the dependence Marianne has on Connell. In addition to this, for me as a reader, Connell’s struggle with depression was incredibly shocking, and an excellent addition to the novel, as it showed clearly the extent of Connell’s inner turmoil as a result of the past four years of pain he had endured. Despite Rooney’s vivid description of Connell’s thoughts and process of being diagnosed, his recovery was not described enough, in my opinion, and I believe that it would have allowed the reader to gain an even greater insight into his mind, especially in this time of mental chaos.
Photo from BBC3's adaptation of Normal People
Rooney’s depiction of the friends' relationship culminates oftentimes in sex, which I thought was well-written about and engaging for the reader, especially during the early stages of their relationship. The deliberate inclusion of many sexual encounters demonstrated the importance and significance of it in their lives as they grew older, particularly as it helped develop and further the idea of the role inversion in which Marianne becomes more dominant. At some stages it seemed unnecessary and consequently the routine aspect of it made it feel almost mechanical, however its inclusion was central to the development of the characters and thus the intricacies of the two’s relationship. I found Rooney’s use of letting the reader know the time at the beginning of each chapter helpful and unique, as it gave the reader a greater understanding of the time scale and the grandeur of the events which occur in the novel.
Novelist Sally Rooney
There are a multitude of intriguing and enthralling moments within the novel surrounding the protagonists’ relationship, the most exciting, in my opinion, is their time in Italy and at university when their societal characteristics invert. The lack of punctuation with speech also made it easy to read and developed a more conversational tone to the novel. I found the book very exciting and interesting for the most part, especially due to Rooney’s depiction of the developing relationship
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