3rd of July-Summary of Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’ by Evie Worsnop

This week’s session was led by Alex Samson

The summary of the discussion is by Evie Worsnop

Over the past few weeks of the SELCS summer book group, the opportunity to share different perspectives on readings has generated diverse discussion; with this week’s focus, Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’, being no exception. The publication of Rooney’s novel in 2018 was met with high acclaim, a popularity which has further resurfaced with the recent release of the BBC’s TV adaptation. Through following the lives of two teenagers, Connell and Marianne, ‘Normal People’ is a portrait of young adulthood, exploring their experience of friendship, love, and sex: both together and apart. Rooney’s writing creates a dynamic that is compelling and addictive to read, one which sees the two characters drawn to one another again and again like ‘two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another’ (pg 265). We questioned the idea of the novel’s relatability which this ‘number one bestseller’ is marketed upon. Can Connell and Marianne really be viewed as two individuals who strive to be ‘normal’? Or is this a truly inaccurate presentation of the millennial experience?

The clear contrast which Rooney creates between Marianne and Connell within ‘Normal People’ was a major focus of our discussion. Though the two are drawn together despite their outward differences, their relationship seems to break down on account of social pressures that define them. Due to their conflicting social statuses, Connell strives to keep his private sexual interactions with Marianne hidden; a breaking point which implodes when he invites someone else to the ‘debs’ (school dance) and Marianne withdraws from school. This clear social disparity between the two is interestingly reversed however once both attend Dublin Trinity University, seeing Marianne gain new popularity and Connell struggle with the isolation of his university experience. While Rooney creates these key comparisons between Connell and Marianne, our discussion also suggested how these differences unify them. Though the pair’s inability to communicate with one another is obvious, a shared likeness between them can be seen in their struggle to navigate their senses of identity and relate to the world around them. Rooney’s writing and stylistic choices which create this dynamic left some frustrated, as some described the sense of ‘claustrophobia’ which accompanied their reading and engagement to ‘Normal People’.

Another topic that was also focused upon within our discussion was class, a key theme within ‘Normal People’. The argument in the novel that money ‘makes the world real’  is proven to bear a harsh reality. Similar to how the pair’s opposing social statuses are made clear from the beginning, Connell’s and Marianne’s story is also overshadowed by the difference in class between them. Their first interaction in the novel for example is framed by the background knowledge that Connell’s mother works as a cleaner for Marianne’s wealthier family. This stark contrast persists beyond their time in high school moreover, as Jamie’s (a different boyfriend of Marianne) labelling of Connell as a ‘culchie’ (a term used to describe those from a rural background in a derogatory way) and Connell’s discomfort in the privileged setting of Trinity both serve to highlight his opposing socio-economic background. Furthermore, anxieties surrounding class within the novel are also shown to appear in the interactions between Marianne and Connell. When on a trip to Italy a conversation between the pair reveals how money, ‘so corrupt and sexy’(pg160), has been what has prevented Connell from many opportunities. He suggests how his educational scholarship ‘has made everything seem possible’ (p159), and Marianne’s acknowledges her ignorance in not considering ‘the financial stuff’ (pg 173) and how the two ‘got to know each other because (his) your mother works for my (her) family’ (pg173). Some within the group criticized that the novel’s discussion on class did not extend as far as it could, while others argued this commentary was successfully embedded into the heart of the novel. Whether determined as a key focus of ‘Normal People’, Rooney’s incorporation of a social analysis so seamlessly within her love story may be viewed as a key testament to her writing.

Given my previous reading of ‘Normal People’ prior to the book club, the contrasting responses to this novel within the group particularly interested me. The question of whether we as readers should really root for a relationship with such obvious problems was raised, producing some interesting responses. Rooney’s presentation of Connell and Marianne’s relationship within ‘Normal People’ had mixed reactions, as while some viewed the way in which the two are repeatedly drawn back to one as intensely romantic, others labelled the relationship as toxic. The instability which surrounds Connell’s and Marianne’s relations in ‘Normal People’ acts as a clear form of suspense for the reader, creating a will-they won’t-they dynamic that keeps us engrossed in their story. Though Connell observes that his relationship with Marianne contrasts to the ‘normal’ and ‘good’ (pg170) relationship he has with Helen (one of his other girlfriends),  it was interesting that our discussion agreed that an ending where Connell and Helen definitively ended up together would not have been as fulfilling. While making for compelling reading, the question of whether this clear portrayal of a relationship so self-destructive in nature fetishizes unhappiness was raised in our discussion. Furthermore, many argued that this could also be seen within Rooney’s depiction of the personal problems faced by both characters. The description of Marianne’s appearance in terms of her ‘thinness’ and references to her small appetite was suggested as a glamorization of an unhealthy beauty standard and perhaps, eating disorder. Through the unclear ending to ‘Normal People’ which sees the relationship between Connell and Marianne remain unresolved (a comparison was also made here to Adichie’s ‘Americanah’, another book club text), Rooney doesn’t seem to afford her protagonists a clear ‘happy ending’. Connell’s statement upon parting with Marianne that ‘in the end she has done something for him, she’s made a new life possible’ (pg265) may be interpreted as a bittersweet revelation fitting for two characters who have recognised their imperfections as one and are learning to live apart.

However, though many opinions within the group highlighted some of the novel’s drawbacks, I found it interesting that many created parallels between ‘Normal People’ and their own lives. Our discussion connected points from literary critic Rita Felski, and I noticed how ‘Normal People’ utilizes this concept of ‘everyday life’ in a way that makes us question the novel’s very relevance to our own lives. Despite differences in age, the rawness and deeply personal nature of ‘Normal People’ was clearly felt by all; perhaps the book contains some truths that we can all relate to regardless of whether it is viewed as deserving of the Guardian’s title of ‘a future classic’.