Tainted Love

Irish author Sally Rooney has gained a kind of cult following among readers. Her debut Conversations with Friends (2017) was praised by critics and appeared on many top ten lists that year. Her follow up, Normal People (2018) won the Costa Best Novel award and the British Book of the Year Award and was longlisted for both the Booker and Women's Prize.

I picked up a copy in 2018 but quickly shelved it. The hype surrounding the novel - and many friends telling me that I absolutely must read it - put me off. It felt very much like the universe was telling me I had to enjoy this book, and I was concerned I wouldn't, so I avoided it at the time and the novel sunk further and further down my gigantic 'to be read' pile. I had forgotten all about Normal People until I recently stumbled across the 2020 TV adaptation of the novel staring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. After binging the miniseries, I grabbed the book and binge-read the novel. 

In January 2011 we meet Marianne Sheridan, an awkward teenager in County Sligo, Ireland. Marianne lives with her widowed mother and her bullying older brother. The family has wealth, but lacks any sorts of loving familial relations. At school Marianne is a loner, intent on using her intelligence to get out of town. Connell Waldron is in her class at school. He was born to a teenage mother, Lorraine, who raised him on her own working as a cleaner for the Sheridans. Connell is popular and bright and wants to make his way in the world, although he is not sure how.

Connell and Marianne begin a secret, intense relationship. When they are together, they can be their true selves. Outside they are repressed by social pressures and the class divide, leading to misunderstanding and betrayal. Their on/off closeness continues when they move to Dublin to attend Trinity College as gifted students. At Trinity roles reverse - Marianne is popular; Connell is the loner. The story is presented as moments in time, jumping ahead by weeks or months to the next stage of the characters' lives. Over the next four years, the novel follows their relationship and they navigate young adulthood and figuring out where they belong.

In many respects I understand the appeal of Rooney to her multitudes of fans. Rooney writes in a sparse way, not adding extraneous dialogue or scene fillers.  The dialogue is sharp, and there is humour underpinning the exploration of some dark themes. But in many ways, the light touch did not allow for full character development, leaving the reader at a distance. Ultimately, while I liked this novel, I didn't love it and would not be in a rush to read Rooney's other work.

It is rare for me to see an adaptation and then read the book, but I am so glad I did with Normal People. Had I read the book first, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the show.  

The series works because the two leads (Mescal and Edgar-Jones) are excellent in their roles and compelling together. The adaptation is faithful to the book (Rooney was a writer on the show), and in some respects television is a better medium for this story. It was filmed on location in Sligo and at Trinity College Dublin.