I was a bit sceptic after reading a few not-so-positive reviews of Normal People by Sally Rooney, and it was good, because the book impressed me more than I could have expected.
The story takes place in Ireland and is told from the point of view of two teens who try to build their relationship through the years of high school and college. The plot seems simple (the usual teen angst and activities), but this simplicity never turns banal. The writing and the plot are rather minimalistic, which lays bare the complexity of human relationships and one’s identity.
Throughout the novel the characters try to be “like normal people,” to belong to this or that community, but their attempts always clash with their need to be true to who they really are.
I was greatly touched by the many rounds it took the main characters to get near each other. It was like watching two wounded, timid creatures approach each other and then bounce back, but always return for another attempt until they can touch each other and not recoil, be near, and heal. A beautiful book about being. And I can’t omit the way Sally Rooney approached mental illness, trauma and sexuality - carefully and compassionately.