#98 Normal People

Normal People by Sally Rooney 

Id seen quite a lot of hype surrounding this book especially since it was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize but i didnt pick it up as it didnt appeal to me (i hadnt looked into it that much but thought it was something totally different than what it turned out to be) It wasnt until my boyfriend was watching the BBC adaptation that i took interest, we watched a few episodes together before i stopped as i knew i just had to read the book instead. I listened to this on audio book from my local library's app and was delighted when the narrator was also Irish as this made it sound more authentic. Being an Irish gal myself im always such a stickler for details and when a book is set in Ireland i like it to be properly Irish, none of this P.S I Love You bullshit. I knew Sally Rooney was Irish herself so knew she wouldnt let me down.

The story is about Connell and Marianne, two highschoolers from Sligo, Ireland. Connell is the perfect working class student, a star athlete and super popular not to mention hes not bad to look at either. Marianne is very wealthy, withdrawn, she doesnt have any friends but is highly intellectual and the top of her class in most subjects and is regularly bullied for being 'ugly and flat chested'. The two meet when Connells mum begins cleaning for Marianne's family at their mansion. Connell picks his mum up from work and the two meet and become unlikely friends. When the friendship quickly becomes sexual Connell is anxious about keeping it a secret from the few mutual acquaintances that the couple share.

With the two competing fot the top grades at school Marianne convinces Connell to apply for a course at Trinity College in Dublin which is highly competitive and prestigious. The story takes place over a number of years as the couple comes together and drift apart. Marianne's life does a complete 180 when she moves to Dublin, she becomes very popular and has lots of friends whereas Connell is struggling to make friends and has found the students in Dublin tend to look down on him as he is a working class boy from the West of Ireland. It was very interesting to see the couple have a role reversal and made for interesting reading.

The book is little under 300 pages so a very quick read and so endearing. I loved both of the characters but in very different ways and their stories made for a perfect coming of age read. I really related to Marianne as i was a bit of a loner in my last few years of high school and i got bullied a lot for being a bit of an ugly duckling, she had a lot of issues and flaws which made her even more human. Her family were the absolute worse, from her brother physically abusing her and her mother acting like she doesnt exist it was harrowing to read. Connell on the other hand was a little unrealistic, i found it hard to believe that he was crazy smart, a great athlete, gorgeous and super popular. I was glad when things became a bit more difficult for him as it made his story much more realistic.

I really enjoyed this story and enjoyed how Irish it was, it was so authentic even down to the slang and the way teenagers speak to each other. It was a homely read and it made me want to pick up every Sally Rooney book for the rest of time.