Having last week claimed I am not a romance reader, I appear to be on a bit of a run of them. Though I would say the ones I am reading are not your standard tropes. Normal People by Sally Rooney is a short economical coming of age love story.

Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything,

A couple of whip smart, awkward teenagers from the same school, but different sides of the class divide begin an intense relationship in secret. Marianne, from a wealthy but dysfunctional family is determinedly her own person, but considered a misfit amongst her peers at school. 

Marianne had the sense that her real life was happening somewhere very far away, happening without her, and she didn’t know if she would ever find out where it was or become part of it.

Connell is an awkward intelligent, sensitive, popular young jock of few words constrained by gender and tormented by his own vulnerabilities. His mother is the house cleaner for Marianne’s family mansion and the two find themselves spending enough time together to become familiar.

Connell wished he knew how other people conducted their private lives, so that he could copy from example.

After high school they both go to Trinity college in Dublin and their roles are reversed – Marianne becomes popular and Connell the outsider. Their on-again-off-again love affair is at times beautiful and sometimes painful to observe.

Generally I find men are a lot more concerned with limiting the freedoms of women than exercising personal freedom for themselves.

To begin with, Marianne and Connell are plagued with low self esteem and a tendency toward self destructive behaviours. Gradually the two shape one another to understand and feel worthy of love and overcome the mistakes they have made with one another. Through their transformation, both become better people.

All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions.

The character building in Normal People is excellent, and the dialogue pitch perfect as the author takes the reader on a journey that is both comedic and tragic. I soon became totally absorbed in this story and particularly fond of the awkward Connell.