Annalise Andrews

Going by the buzz and rave reviews around "Normal People" I thought I was going to love this book ... but I didn't. I'll touch on a few things I found disturbing and distracting about this book. My biggest concern is about how Connell is painted throughout the novel as a positive alternative to the physically and verbally abusive men in Marianne's life like her dad, brother, high school bullies and bad boyfriends. Although Connell "can't bring himself to hit her", he severely emotionally abuses her from the very start of their relationship. Connell even saves her at one point from Alan, the weird abusive brother, and that's meant to show chivalry? Redemption? He won't hit her but he'll tell her how much he loves and depends on her in private and then COMPLETELY abandon her in the real world. That is painful emotional abuse that is never properly unpacked in the narrative. No doubt Marianne, if a real person, would have experienced trauma from her emotional abuse inflicted by Connell and it could be getting in the way of her finding a good wholesome relationship in her adult life. Connell is also a very unrealistic character. He's super "woke", smartest kid in school, a bit socially awkward yet still *very* popular? Maybe the social hierarchy in Irish high schools are a lot different to the high school I went to but nevertheless it was too much to ask of my suspension of disbelief. Marianne's character just made me wince. It felt like everyone in her life is so horrible except Lorraine, and she doesn't have much hold in it. She is so emotionally damaged that she's a paper house up against a world of hurricanes. She needs psychological assistance for her issues as well. I feel like if a man wrote Marianne's character it would be almost misogynistic with the way in which she experiences chronic bad luck with the people she meets in life. Ultimately a lot of what the two protagonists present in the narrative remind me of borderline personality disorder. They're extremely emotionally volatile and codependent. These traits are romanticised by the author; which was disappointing. I like works that are self aware and work through everything they present. This novel read like a wattpad story at times. Good story telling but fairly shallow and the plot wanders off quite a bit. Also a little pretentious at times. It frustrates me how people want to take this text so seriously when it has some serious flaws. Anyway, I don't hate this book but I hope I save someone from their high expectations they may have for it.