Normal People in AMS Book Club at UBC

Jul 30, 2022 Jerlyn rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Very small spoilerish--

This book is for bad bitches who are obsessed with romanticism and are mentally ill!!! this book is for ME!!!

First things first - I enjoyed the writing style a lot. It was easy to read and i liked that nothing and everything always seemed to happen at the same time. The no quotations around the dialogue made it seem like I was viewing the characters from a distance? it felt a little purposefully cold, and I liked that. Though I get why it can be a deal breaker for some re Very small spoilerish--

This book is for bad bitches who are obsessed with romanticism and are mentally ill!!! this book is for ME!!!

First things first - I enjoyed the writing style a lot. It was easy to read and i liked that nothing and everything always seemed to happen at the same time. The no quotations around the dialogue made it seem like I was viewing the characters from a distance? it felt a little purposefully cold, and I liked that. Though I get why it can be a deal breaker for some readers - reading the dialogue can be a little wonky at times. The one nitpick I have with the writing style is on the flow between "flashback" scenes vs the current timeline. it might just be me lol but it can get so confusing to know where I am at in their lives when the flashbacks are sometimes longer than present day updates - it's a little easy to get lost.

Now for the actual content itself...... i really did like it. This is a quiet book with loud emotions. Ones that struck too close to home at times and echoed thoughts that I've experienced in my own relationships, friendships, family hardships, etc etc. I feel absolutely feral coming out of this and yet sessile all the more. Sally Rooney knows how to write words that string around your heart and squeeze the life out of it, and she's the one to decide when they'll let go. Needless to say I was impressed by how enjoyable Rooney's writing was to read. She is extremely good at conveying the emotions that are meant to be felt.

On the topic of characters, the relateability of these two was surprisingly high lol. I have literally zero experience with partying, getting too drunk, cliques, etc etc, but i somehow (and unfortunately) resonated with the inner conflicts of these two characters too much. Don't get me wrong though, I do have some issues with the protagonists. Some of Connel's actions really pissed me off and are truly fucked up, and I dislike how Marianne's "story" feels extremely unresolved and leaves her still weaker than I believe she deserves. (...more on this later tho)

And now listen... I understand that it's not really ideal or healthy to romanticize your difficulties. Depression and anxiety are not cute to have - there is nothing romantic about it. But I think... I think!! In my experience.. When you experience these kinds of difficulties constantly.. It's hard not to cross that boundary.

anyways

tmi and also tw time lol (slight tw for self harm ish/bad sexual experiences)

The next little bit is from my own personal experience, and the main reason why some of this book was triggering for me and why this book resonated the way it did. Reading through Marianne's experience was a ride for sure.

When one of the first times you (i) have ever experienced worth is through sex, the line between wanting to be degraded sexually for fun and wanting to be degraded because you feel like you deserve it becomes extremely thin. It is constant battle when you realize what youve used to "empower" yourself (because you never knew any other way) is the same thing that continues to cause you pain. Because at this point, you've gone too far into it and it's difficult to untangle the ropes (not to make an extremely distasteful pun here but....). How do you find power in it once again without breaking yourself in two? Is it still possible? Is it something that you still want? I hate that I can see my experiences reflected in Marianne's, mostly because it reminds me that other people have suffered in the same way too. At the same time, this is also one of the reasons I rated this book so high - I feel a strange attachment to all of the emotions she feels, as well as the anger that Connel feels in reaction. It's a bit of a sad and strange way of feeling seen. But - I do have a quall with how Marianne's story ended, because the root of her desire for masochism is never properly addressed, and the dynamic between her and Connel still feels very unbalanced (as it did at the start). It felt like Rooney tried to "resolve" the matter by trying to make it clear that Connel loves her, but the insight from Marianne herself felt shallow and weak. Maybe that was on purpose? Healing is never that quick anyways. I would be lying if I said I've got it all figured it out. I just didn't like where it ended for Marianne - it felt like an unnecessary justification for fragility resolved by "love."

Anyways again... I think ill give this like a 4.5... 4.75. This book made me feel a lot of things, and It's sort of changing how I look at myself. I think any book that resonates that deeply deserves a high rating lol. Okay Sally Rooney, consider me a part of your cult 🥲 ...more

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Jul 02, 2022 Sophia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-best-of-the-best

re-read: it’s just so good. i have so much to say. guess it’s time to write a thesis on it!

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EDIT: Okay. Upping this to five stars because I *can’t* stop thinking about it and it’s been changing the way I think. UGH, SO GOOD. The hype is Real.

My feeling surrounding this one are so complicated. I really really liked it—probably even loved it. Really I wouldn’t give it a full star off, maybe only half or a quarter. It’s really good. I can easily see myself thinking abo ...more

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Jul 21, 2022 Bella Dufresne rated it really liked it

When I started this, I thought it was gonna be a 5 star read, but by the end…I was considering 3 stars ngl. That being said, I was pretty sick with COVID and the brain fog was strong (as in I couldn’t read for longer than 10 minutes at a time) so I’m not entirely sure that this book is to blame for my attitude at the end of the book.

I guess a lot of my feelings towards this book have to do with the fact I have not experienced much in terms of romance, so I honestly couldn’t relate to a lot of t ...more

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Oct 09, 2022 Tshepiso rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, 2022-favourites

Read 2: September 6th, 2023
Revisiting Normal People was such a trip. While I do remember loving and deeply relating to the book the first time I read it this reread was on another level. I have never felt so seen, so understood, so reflected in a book. Reading Normal People, for me, felt like walking in the skin of Connell and Marianne. It was frequently frustrating and cringe inducing but it was an exercise in empathy unlike any other book I've ever read.

There's such an intimacy and specificit ...more

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Jan 30, 2022 Ziyana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, owned

ONE OF MY FAV BOOKS EVERRR I thought this was such an interesting portrayal of how impactful a relationship can be - this wasn't a romance as much as a story of two people whose lives always lead them back to each other and how they change yet remain the same in many ways. There were a few issues I had with the book but overall I really enjoyed it even if it made me very sad 😟 ...more

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Jan 29, 2024 Soph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5. These characters are incredibly complex and this is such a beautiful and emotional story. I wouldn’t even call it a love story, it’s so much more than that. Though I loved the story as a whole, I was incredibly bored for the middle 100 pages of this book and I could not stand the lack of quotation marks.

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Jun 29, 2022 Robin rated it liked it · review of another edition

3/5⭐️
1/5🌶

i enjoyed this more than i thought i would considering i swore it off ages ago but ended up giving it a try. beautiful world, where are you set my expectations too high.
the characters were frustrating and after finishing the book it all felt so pointless.

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