Lynette
Lynette asked:

This question contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

To answer questions about Normal People, please sign up.
Becky Connolly I honestly have no idea, and this is one of the areas in which I think this novel is severely lacking. The whole-hearted focus on Marianne and Connell's on-off relationship creates a void with all other characters and significant events, which is something I personally really struggled with; there were so many events that could've (and for a short term, were) extremely climactic in the novel, but Rooney's "time-travelling" immediately destroys these scenes and obliterates the significance that it could have provided to the novel.
Allison
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)
Jean While still in high school, Marianne tells Connell that her father used to beat her mom. I assume he beat all of them. Alan learned that's a way a man behaves. Their mother also believes this is the way a man behaves. So when Marianne rejects the abuse and/or refuses to react to it, they hate her for it.
katiejane
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)
kim ౨ৎ [semi-ia] I assumed it was just because of how different Marianne was, with having no friends and being hated by a lot of people, but I also think its because of how Marianne's mother and father had a bad relationship, so I think it left both Alan and her mother scarred. I think this is just one of the things Sally Rooney wanted the readers to try and read between the lines about.
Image for Normal People
by Sally Rooney (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more