Normal People by Sally Rooney

Basics

💡 Genre: romance, contemporary, literary fiction

🔍 Rating: 2.5/5

📣 Goodreads: Normal People

Review

One thing I liked:

The plot: This book took the typical popular boy-nerdy girl plot to a different level. Rooney elevated this trope and added important messages about social constructs; I found the book deep and meaningful.

One thing I wasn't a fan of:

No matter how much I tried, I could not get past Rooney’s writing style. I found it to be difficult to process and understand. There are no quotation marks for when characters are speaking which confused me. I had to make considerable effort to read the book—I, unfortunately, went to a reading slump because of this book.

Also, I couldn’t attach to the characters. I found them to be underdeveloped; I felt like I was missing pieces of their story. Why were they the way they were? What experiences mattered most to them?

I have respect for Rooney. Her writing is purposeful and carries important messages about our society. There’s a lot of potential here, but it’s just not my cup of tea.