The only good thing about being sick is that I was able to rediscover Sally Rooney. In January 2023, I wrote as follows: “Will I completely exclude Rooney’s books? Maybe not. But if I read a new book by her, it will probably be in the far future.” And it has become reality. Whether I have fully acquired a taste for it is perhaps still questionable, but it has certainly opened up a new world for me.

I have to say that I read this book with prejudice, because I first watched the series, which completely blew me away. Where the series managed to completely draw me into the chemistry between Connell and Marianne, struggling with their difficulties, the book sometimes felt unfathomable. Yet Rooney explores themes that magnetize me, such as class differences, mental health, identity issues and the elusive nature of love. This combined with her subtle pen and an eye for vulnerability in her characters. On the other hand, I found Marianne, Connell, and their relationship to each other strangely fascinating. I found myself in a position where I thought about them often. It kept me interested in their awkward personalities and the pain they left unsaid. I also found their shifting of social positions over the years an interesting thing. Which brings me to the fact that the theme of miscommunication and the way we influence each other, even when words are left unspoken, invited me to think.

Although her minimalist style can be powerful, I occasionally missed something that was not yet clear to me. I guess I was looking for something that could give me more emotional depth. In “Conversation with Friends,” I remember finding it difficult to understand the lack of quotation marks, which I could actually love and respect now. It forces you as a reader to pay more attention to the thoughts and conversations between the characters, which I really appreciated this time.

“Normal People” is a matter of taste. It is stylistically daring and raises all sorts of interesting questions about relationships and how we understand each other. Yet for me there was something missing that couldn’t be filled, something that the series did manage to convey sublimely. Nevertheless, I am intrigued to read her new release “intermezzo”, in the hope that she can seduce me a little more to discover her other melancholic worlds.