AES100 Normal People

For my 16th birthday Kiran got me a copy of Normal People by Sally Rooney, this book was on my wish list for a while and I finally got it. And this book was everything people said it was, sometimes there isnt enough words to describe how amazing this book is. 

Normal people follow the complex friendship and relationship between two teenagers, Connell and Marianne, who both attend the same secondary school in County Sligo, Ireland, and, later, Trinity College Dublin (TCD). It is set during the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, spanning from 2011 through 2015.

What I love the most about this book is that every character in this book has their own flaws, and that is so realistic because as human beings we all have the good and bad in ourselves. It really portrays how human relationships are complex and how there are many elements and factors that lead to the things that we experience. 

You also will get both character's perspectives, so you really get what's happening in Connell and Marriane’s minds. To be honest, that makes this book even better, but it kinda stabs you in the heart how you know for sure that they love each other but there's just always a misunderstanding between them. 

This book also portrays how people change, how life can change, and how those changes are just sometimes unpredictable. It shows how people especially people in their teenage years are just growing and they have to go through their lost and confused phase to finally unlock a better version of their self’s. Some things will work out and some things don't work out but at the end of the day, that's the process of maturing.

The way Sally Rooney builds the characters and their back story just feel so organic and natural. I also love how both Connell and Marianne have their own mental health struggles and it is protracted so realistically and I really felt represented. Despite their mental health struggles their actually two incredibly intelligent individuals, that really gave me comfort as well as motivation to always learn. 

It's beautiful how Connell and Marianne are just meant to be, whatever happens in their life, whatever road they take, it would always lead them to each other. Alto they also struggle on their own, having their own issues, separated due to economic differences. They would comfort each other, motivate each other, and that's really what makes a relationship so special is having someone that is just always there. 

I think anyone can really enjoy this book because there's just always a bit in this book that everyone would enjoy. But for people that are in high school or college, this is such a good read because I think it just feels nice to feel represented. This book is rated for 16+ and make sure to check the trigger warnings. Normal people are also adapted into a series that is available on BBC and HULU. It's just such a beautiful book, with amazing characters, amazing metaphors, beautifully written, Sally Rooney really has talent. 

“Her eyes fill up with tears again and she closes them. Even in memory, she will find this moment unbearably intense, and she's aware of this now, while it's happening. She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person. But now she has a new life, of which this is the first moment, and even after many years have passed she will still think: Yes, that was it, the beginning of my life.”

― Sally Rooney, Normal People

 Picture: https://id.pinterest.com/pin/83387030592822905/