Comment

Aug 06, 2020kaitoryn rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I wanted to like this book so bad, I reread it the day after I finished it the first time. That’s how desperate I was. Good thing the book is short, because reading Normal People for the second time proved to be fruitless. Both times I was left underwhelmed. Perhaps it was because of Rooney’s style of prose, or maybe even the fact that I’m not a millennial, unlike the author and her characters. I’m guessing it’s the former. The prose was quite simple, and felt too bare at times. For example, during the characters’ conversations, I was confused as to which specific emotion accompanied each line of dialogue. Sure, I was able to infer a general vibe of emotional turmoil, but sometimes I had no idea whether a character was choking out a sentence on the verge of tears or muttering out of complete hopelessness. Other readers may like this quality of writing as it allows them to conjure aspects of the story with their imagination, thus giving it a more personal touch. Personally, I thought it made the book lack a certain level of emotional depth that would otherwise allow me to connect further to the characters. Nonetheless, I still empathized Marianne and Connell, and I enjoyed picking up on the little ways their own inner flaws revealed themselves, whether it was through their actions or simple phrases of dialogue. Normal People loves to play the “will they, or won’t they” game with Marianne and Connell, (and also switching between Marianne being attractive or “garishly ugly”). While I rooted for them to become a couple, I wasn’t too devastated by their periods of separation as I was quite content with idea of them just being friends. Additionally, despite the large time skips, it still seemed like Marianne and Connell were constantly together somehow. To be frank, I wasn't as invested into the characters or their relationship as I think I should have been. I’ll admit that I also enjoyed Rooney’s commentary on subjects such as class differences and privilege, and I did find some great quotes that particularly stood out to me. While this isn’t one of the “great” ones, the quote comparing Connell’s face to an “artist’s impression of a criminal” did make me laugh out loud as I imagined his face to be Robbie Rotten’s or even Waluigi’s. After rereading the novel, I watched the Hulu adaptation and I actually really liked it, especially the actors’ interpretations of the characters. Whether or not you liked the book version of Normal People, I'd highly recommend the show.