Normal People

This novel follows the lives of Marianne and Connell, who grow up in a small town in Ireland. Marianne lives with her mother and brother in a large mansion, where Connell’s single mother works as a cleaner. Marianne is a social outcast, while Connell is popular at school. They begin a secret relationship that stops during their final year at high school when Connell treats her badly. A year later, they are both studying at Trinity College in Dublin and now it is the other way around: Marianne feels comfortable at university, and Connell doesn’t seem to fit in. Over the following years, they repeatedly find themselves drawn to each other, on and off. This is a book about a fragile love affair, written in a witty and warm way. It is one of those rare books you can’t put down because the characters are so endearing.