crabbygirl reviewed Normal People by Sally Rooney
Review of 'Normal People' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
a book about 2 people who keep being drawn to each other despite their huge difference in family background and wealth. It starts in highschool where he's the big man on campus, too embarrassed to be seen with her, the ever awkward weirdo. the roles reverse in college when she is suddenly on top on the social scene, and over and over again, thru poor communication, they break up to save face, only to resume their relationship when they run into each other. when she turns to sado masochism and he falls into a deep depression and starts seeing a therapist, I had great hopes for their future happiness but no, the book ends with the same not-telling-the-truth. it was too sad.
the only strength I found was in the portrayal of modern life: the bewilderment of leaving public grief statements on the facebook page of a dead fellow student, …
a book about 2 people who keep being drawn to each other despite their huge difference in family background and wealth. It starts in highschool where he's the big man on campus, too embarrassed to be seen with her, the ever awkward weirdo. the roles reverse in college when she is suddenly on top on the social scene, and over and over again, thru poor communication, they break up to save face, only to resume their relationship when they run into each other. when she turns to sado masochism and he falls into a deep depression and starts seeing a therapist, I had great hopes for their future happiness but no, the book ends with the same not-telling-the-truth. it was too sad.
the only strength I found was in the portrayal of modern life: the bewilderment of leaving public grief statements on the facebook page of a dead fellow student, the ribbing among adolescent boys as well as their deplorable brags (showing nude pics of the their girlfriend), the abundance of casual sex, even casual relationships in that no one seems to stay single for long; everyone hooked up with a partner without truly knowing them or even wanting to know them. in that way, the romance of this couple was distinctly modern: there seemed little in the way of jealousy over past sexual relationships, that it was understood that sex was not even a big deal. the romance lay in their deep connection that they found with no other. (except of course, they are unable to communicate that to the other)
