Normal People received rave reviews in 2018 and instantly became an award winning novel. It tells the story of how the couple – Marianne and Connell’s – relationship unfolds. The two meet during high school where Connell is part of the popular crowd.
Connor’s mother always cleans Marianne’s house, so they’ve been spending a lot of time together outside of the classroom. They couldn’t help but open up to each other and share their first kiss. It’s no surprise that sparks flew!
The story is then quickly narrated from Connell’s point of view, then from Marianne’s. It is revealed that the couple have since ended up in different places and Marirne merges into a large group of friends. Whereas Connell struggles to find her place in the world.
This is a novel about an ordinary couple who are more remarkable than what it first seems. She captures you instantly and keeps you reading right to the end. Reading it made me realize that there’s something extraordinary in all of us.
She captures the emotions in her writing that many people can relate to.
The Sally Rooney phenomenon: why is “Normal People” getting such mixed reviews?
In the world of English-language literature, Sally Rooney has been making a name for herself. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, was published in 2017 and the book received rave reviews. Some highlighted Rooney’s innovative approach and use of language, describing her as a modern and up-to-date writer. Others said that she had failed to really develop characters and that the story was too similar to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series. There are few complex, figurative phrases and language games in Rooney’s texts. But the people who he depicted in his novel, however imperfectly and incompletely, were all strikingly ordinary.
One of the causes for Rooney’s book receiving such harsh criticism is that the characters are not false, unlike what most novels commonly depict these days. They may be ordinary people, but you will still be able to feel sympathetic connections with them while reading. Youth is often full of mistakes, but that’s how we learn and grow as people. There are many books out there with relatable stories that provide a therapeutic experience while you read- so go grab one and read it! And someone does not understand why we’re talking about this. Or maybe they just think it’s boring?
Popular books are often good for most people, but no popular bestseller will suit everyone. Readers should be realistic about their expectations and not blame the book if it doesn’t live up to them. I’m not going to give into conspiracy theories put out by marketers or celebrities who are lucky enough to be sponsored and promote a poorly written novel for some money. The question would rather be, who can resist the charm of the book. (It’s only normal, really.) But this is where the resentment kicks in, and through which it manifests itself.
“Normal People” caused a commotion when it was released due to many people reading, watching and listening to different translations of the book. Due to cultural differences in expression and feelings, there are various opinions about how to discuss the book. The idea is not to make judgments about Sally Rooney’s readers. Instead, the most important thing is to understand what their emotional mode is and what age group they feel like themselves to be in. For example, some teenagers would feel like teenagers in a book or movie who are finally trying (and, for the most part, failing) to talk about their feelings. Others may argue that Sally Rooney’s characters are too “perfect”. But who knows what teens should be like? They all have their own ideas of how life should be. Is it fair for those with everything to suffer just because, or even thanks to the fact, that they don’t get what everyone says would make them happy? On the other hand, don’t forget about emotional needs and people deserve to experience their feelings – even if it’s only for a bit.
This is a completely new form of literature. There aren’t many people around the world who are familiar with it and that is always cause for debate and uncertainty in some way.
This is a text about the character Lola and how she lives in the novel. They’re people just like you and I, and they’re all unique with their own struggles, thoughts, ideas etc. The author has written this text to demonstrate the extent to which Lola influences the happenings of events occurring in the story. The author always aims to give truthful insight into the thoughts, words, attitudes and gestures of his characters. He does this very well and it’s easy to see the subtle nuances in their behaviour. By reading the story, one can not only understand it, but also feel and experience the events that occur with the characters. One can grasp behavioral patterns in a modern and understandable way reflected in now accepted words.
This is a text about modernity, how relationships work in the 21st century. It pretends to be a little chapbook on love, but love seems outdated with all of the baggage from the past century. Marianne and Connell from “Normal People” never lose each other in their feelings, but keep finding each other no matter what. You can experience a different person, different appearance, different lifestyle when you are with them. This is a long journey of exploring and discovering. It’s unclear where else you can see so clearly how people are intrinsically entwined, as we’re all influenced by one another. It’s important for us to spend time with other people and get close to them.
Not only is physical contact a hymn to literature – as “to make contact and come closer to other people, we need the same efforts of the imagination that you have when reading.” Connell also makes this discovery while writing. The quotation – “many of us are not granted revelation, either earthly or heavenly, until a certain person has an unexpected influence on us, causing a response” – was taken from George Eliot. This is a really classic book that continues on the classics of new go. In this world, you’re allowed to be weak and small and still be considered normal.”Becoming”, because in the novel it’s shown as a movement towards accepting and discovering oneself. From realizing oneself “still the same person, locked inside one’s own body” to a certain adulthood, including adult freedom to let go of.
