Normal People is a fictional book written by young Irish author Sally Rooney. It was her second novel after Conversation with Friends. The book was published in 2018 and has won several awards. It was long listed for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, it was voted as the 2018 Waterstones’ Book of the year, and won ‘Best Novel’ at the 2018 Costa Book Awards. The novel also kicked off 2019 with another nomination; it was long listed for the Women’s Prize for fiction.
The book Normal People is majorly based on two protagonists; Connell and Marianne, Mariane’s parent and Connell’s mother, Lorraine.
The novel is based on the complex friendship and relationship between two teenagers, Connell and Mariane. They both attend the same secondary school in County Sligo, and later Trinity College Dublin. It was set in the shadowy and smoky Dublin during the 2000s downturn period. According to the novel, Connell is a popular, handsome and highly intelligent high school student. He begins a relationship with the contrasting protagonist, Mariane, an unpopular, skinny, intimidating and clever girl. Mariane’s parent also employ Connell’s parent as a cleaner. Connell keeps the affair a secret from school friends out of shame but ends up attending the same college as Mariane, Trinity College Dublin after the summer and reconciling.
Mariane blossoms at University, becoming pretty, and popular, while Connell struggles to fit in properly for the first time in his life. The pair weaves in and out of each other’s lives during their university years; they merely break each other’s hearts over and over again. This develops an intense bond that brings to light the traumas and insecurities that make them both who they are.