My most recent read, like everyone else on the train it seems, was Normal People by Sally Rooney. A beautifully sad story following two friends, Connell and Marianne, and their turbulent relationship through school and university. It's a story of growing up, social hierarchy and the desperation to just be able to fit in and be 'normal'.
At school Connell is handsome, smart and part of the popular crowd, his single mother is Marianne's cleaner. Marianne lives in a white mansion, she's odd and a bit of a loner. They first connect over their grades in her kitchen as they wait for Connell's mother to finishing cleaning and they begin to see each other frequently. As their relationship blossoms it's kept a secret as Connell fears ruining his popular status at school. Later, at Trinity College in Dublin, the dynamics change and Marianne fits in well with the new privileged and wealthy crowd making Connell the misfit. Throughout the book there is an understanding that Connell and Marianne are always drawn back to each other and as a reader you just want to shout through the pages to tell them, which is why the ending appears sad on the surface but leaves you smiling inwardly.
Normal People is a brilliant book. Rooney's witty writing is reminiscent of Jane Austen's work and you can't help but think this could be a modern day re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. For me, what makes the book so readable is the fact that it has the most normal storyline of girl meets boy, whilst dealing with issues of class, money and sexuality, written in an enticing fashion. Rooney's writing is fluid as we jump months each chapter to reveal more plot, giving you time to ponder what occurred in-between, whilst allowing the story to move at just the right pace. It's really no surprise that it's already been signed to be made into an adaptation by the BBC!
Post a Comment
Hello, thank you for reading my blog, I'd love you to leave a message. Feel free to leave a link to your blog too and I will check it out.