Normal People by Sally Rooney
The little town where Connell and Marianne grew up is the only thing in common. Connell is well-liked and popular at school, but Marianne is a recluse. Yet, something life-altering starts when the two begin an awkward but electrifying chat.
They are both enrolled in classes at Dublin’s Trinity College a year later. Connell stands on the sidelines, timid and unsure, while Marianne has settled into a new social environment. Marianne and Connell continually circle one another during their time in college, veering away to explore other options and people but always being magnetically drawn back. Each must decide how far they are ready to go to save the other as she begins to destroy herself and he starts to look for significance elsewhere.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
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The story of Normal People is told through Connell and Marianne’s perspectives. It made me realize how inaccurate views and understandings of what people say and mean may be, regardless of how well you think you know them. The book also demonstrates how our identity, sense of self, and mature selves are inextricably linked to our childhood. Marianne comes from an affluent, dysfunctional, and unloving family. Connell comes from a struggling yet devoted family. Their identity and perspective on the world are largely shaped by this. The work also explores bullying’s effects, on both victims and perpetrators.
The social classes of Marianne and Connell are different. Their relationships with one another, their choices of friends, their living situations, and their travel plans are all influenced by the social capital associated with having or not having money. Both as a means of elevating social standing and as status symbols in and of themselves, books are valued highly. Yet, the class has little bearing on how the novel treats gender roles. Connell, despite being privileged because he is male, has some knowledge of feminist literature, while Marianne, a wealthy woman, is eager to submit to males. For people from various generations, Normal People has generated a lot of discourse.
