Just the other day, someone saw me reading this book as I was waiting for an appointment. They glanced at the cover, pointed at it and said - great book, very sad. I was about two-thirds through the novel and I immediately knew what they meant. But still, my heart argued with that interpretation. Yes, there is sadness in this novel, but there is also hope.
Normal People follows two characters over a number of years as they navigate a complex relationship involving class, social acceptance, friendship, sex, and love. There is certainly sadness in this novel - the consequences of childhood trauma, the sadness of isolation, the inability to love oneself when familial love has been withheld, twisted, or replaced by cruelty. Themes of abuse are present in Marianne's past, and in her present as she struggles to identify how to be loved - in her romantic pursuits, in her sexual experiences, and in her friendships. Our world is full of trauma and sadness, and sadly, that sometimes remains the main marker of a life. But other times, there are people who help to mend the parts of us that are broken, and show us our goodness when we can’t see it for ourselves. The consistent thread throughout this novel is Marianne's relationship with Connell, a love that, although in many ways imperfect and peppered with Connell's own struggles, is marked by compassion, kindness and respect.
There are a few elements of the novel where I searched for more in the writing. Namely, Marianne's social isolation in school and even the story of her childhood trauma. Rooney leaves a lot for the reader to interpret and imagine for ourselves in these elements of the storytelling. Depending on a reader's life experience, I suspect that these blanks will be easy to fill for some, and much harder for others. However, despite any remaining questions, the primary thing I got from this novel was an empathic relationship with the characters, the aspect of literature that remains my greatest motivation for picking up any piece of fiction.
To me, this is a book of hope and resilience above all else.
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