Normal People

Connell and Marianne both grow up in the same small town in Ireland's west, but their similarities end there. Connell is well-liked and popular at school, whereas Marianne is an outcast. But something life-changing happens when the two strike up a conversation - awkward but electrifying. Normal People is a story about mutual awe, friendship, and love. It transports you from that first conversation to the years after, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but can't.

Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other at school. He's well-liked and well-adjusted, the star of the high school soccer team, whereas she's lonely, proud, and intensely private.

But when their paths cross, they fall deeply in love. They try to keep their relationship hidden, but a year later, when they're both studying at Trinity College in Dublin, Marianne has found her footing in a new social world, while Connell remains on the sidelines, shy and uncertain. They circle each other for years, two damaged people exacerbating each other's damage. Normal People shines a light on the types of relationships that many people find themselves in during their twenties. Relationships that bind, break, and ultimately shape you.

Author: Sally Rooney

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Normal-People-Novel-Sally-Rooney/dp/1984822179/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0