Towards the end of secondary school, popular Connell and oddball Marianne fall into a secret relationship, with Connell unwilling to risk his reputation. This sets the course for a reversal when Marianne takes flight at Trinity College Dublin, while Connell initially flounders. It’s her next-level honesty, which is in full force in her sharp, painful, and fine new novel, Normal People . Both books open with a young man looking at a young woman, trying to figure out her effect on him. Connell and Marianne haltingly grow out of that desire, and as they do, Rooney’s character portraits become increasingly outstanding.

Source: thestar April 18, 2019 12:00 UTC