It's not often you find a novel that can truly capture such a complex relationship between two people. One where there is no clear cut line of what they should be doing or where they should be going. Normal People's themes of dominance, true connection, and intimacy present what on the surface seems to encapsulate a love story, but in fact could even be taken as a warning. This is not a satisfying story. No one saves another, maybe nothing works out in the events past the ending. But it resonated with me because it mirrors experiences and feelings that are hard to talk about, hard to describe to others. This text is perhaps one of the best vehicles to do this.

Connell is objectively not a nice person. He knowingly manipulates Marianne, subjecting her to his various fuck-ups, making her believe she is the problem, every time. Seen from Marianne's eyes, the reader wants them to be together, to make each other happy. We see Marianne's troubles with worthlessness and self respect and keep negotiating with Connell to treat her better, yet it never comes. Even then, the scenes in which she feels safe even for a second all happen under his watch. This title is ripe for discussion; it's one I will be thinking about for a while.