Normal People — A Novel book cover by Sally Rooney

Normal People

Adult • Coming of Age
A Novel
Small town roots shape their bond Trinity College serves as backdrop Awkward encounters spark a connection Their journey circles love and loss Self-destruction tests their commitment

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.

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Edition information

Book details

Publisher
Crown
Publication date
2020
Print length
304 pages
Language
English
ISBN
978-1984822185

Coming of Age

Reader guide

What to Know Before Reading Normal People

Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.

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About the author

Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney

SALLY ROONEY was born in the west of Ireland in 1991. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Granta and The London Review of Books. Winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award in 2017, she is the author of Conversations with Friends and the editor of the Irish literary journal The Stinging Fly.
A favorite quote

“We’re not really people, we’re just two people who are in love.”

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