Normal People Hardcover – August 30, 2018

I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 starsStrengths:-Page turner. It hooked me right away, and never let go.-Emotional complexity. It felt nice to get to know the characters deeply. They were well-developed.-Perceptive criticisms. There were some nice commentaries on status games, art, and douchey peopleThings that bothered me:-Kinky-shaming. I’m kinky, and I think this book portrays kink in a pretty negative, and extremely narrow light. BDSM is already a very misunderstood subculture, and this book just added fuel to that fire-Plot relies on bad communication. I’m so sick of romance books and shows developing a plot based on characters’ inability to be honest w how they feel and what they want 😵‍💫. And this book fell prey to that-The book jumps from present to past a lot. It felt a little unnecessary, and confusing at times. I'd often forget we were in the past, and then I'd get brought back to the present.-Try-hard. Just a little bit. I can't pin down why, but I had the theory tha tthe author really wanted to come off as perceptive and clever. But some of her descriptions just felt like she was trying too hard.-No quotations! Minor thing, but when characters speak, there are no quotation marks! I never really adjusted and didn't like this style edit.All in all though, great book. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely read another novel by the author.

Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins.A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.My Thoughts: There was something very painful about watching the way Connell and Marianne came together and pulled apart over time. The push and pull of their connection to one another was like a dance, but one that was awkward and hurtful. Normal People felt so ironic, in that the two of them seemed to go out of their way to avoid connecting with each other.Their inability to communicate their true feelings felt like a phase in the beginning since the young often cannot say what they truly mean to one another. Their near misses could “normally” be this off in the adolescent stages, but these two kept up their blundering and stumbling shuffle for many years, well into college and beyond.Their disparate backgrounds and dysfunctional families did not help them learn better ways to be together, but in the end, I gave a painful sigh when they stumbled upon ways to talk to one another in a halting fashion. Finally.This book was difficult to read, not only because of the constantly shifting emotions, but the writing style was off-putting, with its absence of quotation marks that made the communication seem even more challenging to follow. A worthwhile read, once the reader gets through the “stumbling” parts. 4 stars.

This is definitely a 3.5 for me. One of the things I loved was the unconventional writing style. The dialogue did not have quotations, but it totally didn’t matter. It was obvious when someone was speaking. Some of the sentence cadence felt like a Dick and Jane book to me. But I really enjoyed the unique delivery. The thing I didn’t enjoy (and this is a personal preference) was the continual back and forth of their relationship. They were on and off again so many times and it was always for a weird reason or a miscommunication. They really didn’t grow or change that much and the lack of progress was frustrating for me. The book did not have an ending per se, but I suppose that was apropos given the themes of the book. I am eager to now watch the tv series.