(86)Normal People by Sally Rooney

Connell and Marianne have known each other forever. They both grew up in a small Irish community and went to school together.  Connell was a popular kid, smart and athletic, everybody loved him. Marianne was a quiet, bookish young woman. She was a loner who did her own thing and was okay with not having any friends.  And Connell's mother was her family's housekeeper.  It was on those days when Connell picked his mother up that they struck up a friendship.  One that followed them through the years.  Through the end of high school, on to Trinity College, and beyond.  Their friendship saw them through both good and bad times.  But will it be the kind of friendship that stands the test of time?

Normal People is *the* book of 2019 and I didn't want to finish the year without finishing it.  Especially since it is set in Ireland.  Both Marianne and Connell were flawed people, some would even say deeply flawed.  In ways that made my heart hurt, for both of them. Teens are often flawed when it comes to relationships, their communication skills were the most lacking thing about them. But I kept reading with the anticipation that they would grow out of their issues.  The more I read, the more I realized that true relationships are when you accept each other, flaws and all. And let's not forget that Normal People is set in Ireland and that is so very clear on every page. 

Bottom Line - Normal People is not a flashy story with big revelations. It is a brilliant, slow and steady book that will leave you contemplating your own relationships.  I understand why it has made so many "Best of 2019" lists.  It truly is one of the best books of the year.

Details:

• Normal People by Sally Rooney
• Pages: 288
• Publication Date: 4/16/19
• Publisher: Crown/Archetype
• Buy it Here!
• Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.