Normal People, Sally Rooney’s sophomore novel, begins in Sligo, a coastal town in Ireland which is moving through the aftermath of a national recession. It centers around Connell and Marianne, two high school students entrenched in very different spaces. For starters, Marianne’s is the daughter of an affluent lawyer who lives in a large house, and Connell is the son of the woman who cleans said large house.
But it’s not just their socioeconomic standings which differ. Although Connell is quiet and unassuming, he is popular, to the point of being beloved. Marianne however, is an outspoken lone wolf with self destructive tendencies. The most obvious of which is how she habitually uses her intelligence as a measuring stick, which of course further ostracizes herself from her peers. Connell on the other hand hides his curiosity and his literary interests from his friends so that he can remain camouflaged in plain sight.
Despite their differences, Marianne and Connell are drawn together. Initially through the problematic, transactional relationship that exists between their mothers, however as the two encircle one another in the privacy of Marianne’s home, they find a crack of insight within one another. A safe space to remove the masks that they wear in public.
From here they embark upon a fractured, ever shifting relationship that unfurls throughout their time at University in Dublin. This leap from small town to big city is one that not only alters their relationship, but also turns the tables on their individual dynamics. Where Connell thrived in a small pond, he finds himself drowning in disconnect upon moving to the capital. Marianne however blossoms…to some extent, as although she finds herself immersed in a more fitting crowd, she still struggles with crippling self-esteem. A brittle issue that stems from a home life that closely resembles a frozen tundra. A decaying foundation that only seems to be quelled in the presence of Connel.
But as their relationship moves from secret dalliances to stretches of silence and periods of time when they are friends, who can never be just friends, the peace, understanding, and acceptance they find within one another and within themselves is continuously tested.
On paper, Normal People seem like it’s steeped in familiar material, but the complexity and the nuances of Rooney’s protagonists coupled with her exploration of formative backgrounds, class privilege, insecurities, intimacy, and identity makes Normal People, an extraordinary read. It is and will remain a personal favorite of mine, for the way in which Rooney navigates both the daunting landscape of feeling lost and the warmth of finding hope.
For those who feel deeply, who love character driven studies, and are drawn to the strange, beautiful, and inexplicable mannerisms of human nature…this one’s for you.
