.Virtual Book Club

Normal People

by Sally Rooney

From the publisher's website: 

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.

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.

Inspired to explore some of the books, authors, and places mentioned in Normal People? Check out the USF Libraries holdings listed below!

*** WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! ***

Each week, VBC discusses sections of the book together. Below is a collection of weekly discussion questions posed by VBC leadership and members. Be aware that these likely include spoilers, so please do not scroll further if you have not read the book.

Week 1: Orientation meeting

1. How important is popularity? Was your opinion different in high school? Earlier in college?
2. What makes someone a “normal” person?
3. What do you expect from this book? Do you have any preconceived notions of what might be covered?

Week 2: p. 1-96 

1. A major conflict in this section is centered around Connell being so concerned with his peer’s opinions that he refuses to publicly acknowledge Marianne. Do you blame Connell for his actions? Do you sympathize with him or with Marianne?
2. The first time Connell tells Marianne he loves her, we are told that “She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person. But now she has a new life, of which this is the first moment, and even after many years have passed she will still think: Yes, that was it, the beginning of my life” (46). Do you think Marianne had ever been told that she was loved, in any sense of the word, by anyone before Connell? How can the experience of “first love” transform a person’s self-image and view of the world?
3. Do you think that Connell takes advantage of Marianne's feelings toward him in the beginning? How does Connell's attention make Marianne feel?
4. Rooney made some strong stylistic and structural choices with her writing. What effect do these have on your reading experience?

Week 3: p. 97-190

1. How does the shift in power dynamic at Trinity change Connell and Marianne’s relationship? To what extent does class play a part in the novel? 
2. How does Connell’s unease with Marianne’s friends affect their relationship at Trinity? 
3. Connell and Marianne never label their relationship. How does this ambiguity affect them both?
4. Miscommunication is a big issue with Connell and Marianne. For example, how might their relationship have turned out differently if they had moved in together during the summer? 
5. Connell and Marianne both win scholarships. Do their differing reactions reveal anything about their characters? 

Week 4: p. 191-273

1. How do Connell and Marianne change throughout the book? How does their relationship evolve?
2. Speculate wildly! What does the future hold for Connell and Marianne in five or ten years' time?
3. Which character in the book do most like and/or dislike? Discuss the reasons for your opinion.
4. Are Marianne and Connell normal people? Why or why not?