Discover our Monthly Spotlight: Normal People by Sally Rooney
This month we revisit the coming-of-age romance that became a literary blockbuster. Explore our reading guide, read an extract, listen to our latest podcast episode, and win a copy of the novel
Throughout February, we’re celebrating our latest Monthly Spotlight – Normal People by Sally Rooney – a tender, will-they-won’t-they love story full of messy emotions and miscommunications. It takes us from those first awkward conversations to the complicated years beyond, in the company of Connell and Marianne – two young people who try to stay apart but find they simply can’t.
The novel was longlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize and went on to garner a huge international following, selling over three million copies. Two years after its initial publication, it was adapted for television in a production co-scripted by Rooney. The mini-series was streamed over 65 million times, breaking records and catapulting actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal into the mainstream – and taking Rooney’s novel to an even wider audience.
Rooney has been compared with some of the greatest authors of the past two centuries, as well as a voice of her generation. The Guardian called Normal People ‘Pride and Prejudice with hangovers’ and Rooney was heralded by her editor as a ‘Salinger for the Snapchat generation’ and as ‘the first great millennial author’ by the Times. She went on to be named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022 by Time magazine.
This month, why not join us in reading this work that has captured hearts and minds across the world.
Read an extract from Normal People by Sally Rooney
In school, Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. People are aware that Marianne lives in the ‘white mansion with the driveway’ and that Connell’s mother is a cleaner, but no one knows of the special relationship between these facts. Despite these social tangles, a connection grows between the pair, but when they are both awarded places to study at Trinity College in Dublin, their relationship dynamic shifts and they struggle to express their true feelings. Read the opening words from Normal People here.
The Booker Prize Podcast, Episode 31: Why Normal People is more than just a love story
On The Booker Prize Podcast this week, we revisit Sally Rooney’s literary blockbuster. Tune in to hear hosts Jo Hamya and James Walton discuss the incredible popularity of the novel, its Marxist subtext, Rooney’s nuanced depiction of abuse and mental health, and what the book has to say about class and politics.
Discover our reading guide to Normal People
Whether you’re new to Normal People or have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, discover more in our comprehensive guide, which includes a synopsis, character summaries, critics’ comments and a range of discussion points for book clubs.
Win a copy of Normal People by Sally Rooney and a Booker Prize tote bag
To celebrate our Monthly Spotlight, we are giving you the chance to win one of five bundles including a copy of Normal People, plus a limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag. This competition is open to readers across the world.
Have you read Normal People, or are you joining us in reading the novel this month? If so, we’d love to hear what you think in the comments below
Also, I loved both and don’t really think the Salinger reference holds up. I couldn’t stand his books. Too much whining and whinging for my taste.
Yes and watched the series. I’m giving a copy to my grand daughter for her HS graduation present. She’s off to Providence College in the fall. As an English major!