Normal People is an amazingly immersive book which captures the love between Connell and Marianne, two young Irish people, as they leave sixth-form and take on the journey of university, in Dublin. The novel spans over around 4-5 years as each chapter jumps back into their lives, whether that be a couple weeks later, or six months later. I feel this helps the reader and audience to understand the beauty of Connell and Marianne's relationship further, and to feel more engaged in their story. The deep level of detail is what has been criticised on Goodreads.com; but this is exactly how Sally Rooney immerses the reader into the world of Connell and Marianne. Her use of dailiness in pivotal in expressing the normality of life in Normal People. The criticisms of their being too much detail in the small things, and lack of communication between Marianne and Connell reminds me of the criticisms that Ulysses faced. Declan Kiberd has pointed out how Ulysses was deemed unreadable due to its recording of every minute of the day, yet that is the beauty of the novel, we are introduced to Marianne and Connell in the most raw format through the great details which allow us to understand things about life and relationships that are otherwise dismissed.
So, to give you a quick dip into the storyline - Connell often sees Marianne at her mansion home, when picking his mother up from her cleaning job. Their 'no strings attached/ non-labelled relationship' relationship begins to blossom, despite Connell continuing to ignore Marianne at school and watch as his friends victimise her with 'banter'. After Connell betrays Marianne with another girl, it's a few months before they meet again at a college party where they have appeared to switch roles... Connell is the loner at the party and Marianne is surrounded by new friends.
Throughout college their relationship is on-and-off, all of which appears fairly casual despite their deep bond and caring attitude towards one another. Both of them enter into other relationships, yet they never quite work out.
In true Marianne and Connell form, the reader never actually learns what the endings will be for the young people, Connell considers accepting a 1 year career move to New York, and for Marianne, well we're not too sure where she'll end up. But, as a reader, we're rooting for the couple and know that they will always be able to count on each other, which we come to learn throughout the book, such as when Connell rescues Marianne from her brother, Alan's assault and when Marianne becomes Connell's rock through his period of depression. When they go their separate ways, they are always magnetised together eventually.
I really enjoyed reading Normal People, the way it was narrated made the story feel real and the focus on the the two main characters was interesting. The novel is made up of a lot of dialogue as you come to understand the workings of Connell and Marianne's minds and you learn what they are like. The focus on 'normal people' conveys the idea of what is normal? - as Marianne and Connell struggle to navigate through life together, their relationship is put to the test numerous times through external forces, such as their status and surrounding people, we come to learn that it is not always plain sailing and they both endure hardships.
A criticism I do have though, yet also admire, is the ending ... I want to know what happens next! I'm a sucker for happy endings, or at least conclusive endings, which Normal People does not explicitly offer. Having said that, I understand Rooney's decision to end the novel on a cliffhanger, it is very fitting for the novel as a whole, and the closure lies in there not being much closure and their is no definitive answer, much like their is no definitive label on Connell and Marianne's relationship throughout the novel. Therefore, despite my desire to be nosey and know what will happen, I am okay with this ending too, and the lack of closure is the point, I suppose. We are just left to hope that one day Connell and Marianne will get their happy ending, but for now, like their past, their relationship is a little bit up in the air, and I think I'm okay with that.
As for the twelve episode TV adaptation, the storyline fits the novel almost perfectly, I'd say. Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones portray the characters wonderfully. The way the series is conveyed fits the slow paced novel as the audience watches their deeply intimate connections and conversations which helps understand how their relationship works. Overall, a fab series, my only suggestion is to consider whether you really want to watch it with your parents.
I really recommend Normal People, both the novel and BBC series adaptation. I feel that it is especially fitting for a similar age group to Marianne and Connell, the early 20 year olds who struggle to navigate their relationship.
Love, Ailsa xxx