Normal People on BBC3

[Bouledeneige]

Binge watched it yesterday and loved it. Emotional, passionate and two really great leads. Thoroughly recommend it (so long as you don't mind lots of love scenes). Cried lie and felt bereft when it finished.

Exactly, like I don’t know why they would just decide to split based on one summer apart if they really loved each other. ID been with my ‘first love’ a year when he moved to university 3 hours away. It wasn’t really even mentioned that we’d break up

Loads of people (myself very much included) are picking this book /series apart like it's English Literature GSCE. I am blaming lockdown boredom myself.

Would ,love a Q&A about it with the author.

Beats Macbeth and A Tale of Two Cities though.

Yep I've spent far too many hours analysing it in my brain - I blame lockdown!

Definitely true Sparklingbrook 😂

There are a couple of Facebook groups (I read but don't post) and they are pulling it to bits and analysing everything. Makes us look like amateurs.

This is what they have been chewing over-

As I think about it today it is very bad form and unnecessarily hurtful of Connell to get drunk, crash her party, insult her boyfriend to her face, tell her he has replaced her (and not just in bed, but in his heart), and then ask for money to get home! Why is that easier for him to ask for taxi fare after he has broke her heart and made her cry than asking to stay with her for the summer? She does give him the money because she still loves him, despite all of this I think. Most people would have kicked him out and let him walk home.

I think the break up makes sense (although it is annoying!). When they get back together at Uni they don’t put any labels on their relationship. Niall asks Connell if Marianne is his girlfriend and he says no. Marianne doesn’t tell her friends for a few months either and only admits they are together when pushed by Peggy, but makes out it isn’t serious. Basically they make the same mistake again. Rather than having a conversation and agree to be together, they let the relationship drift along.

At this point too, they are both having a tough time. Connell has lost his job and can’t afford to stay in Dublin. His story has been rejected for publication. It comes out later in the book, but he feels pressure to succeed for his Mum, as she has sacrificed so much for him. Added to this he is surrounded by people with money, talking about their holidays abroad etc. He is feeling anxious, insecure and out of place.

Marianne too has just been back to Sligo and had to deal with her Mum and brother. She is feeling vulnerable, unloved and it has probably dragged up a lot of old memories.

So, Connell waits for her to say that he can stay with her. Marianne just hears that he wants to go back to Sligo. You then have Connell ask are we exclusive (in a very indirect way!). Marianne misinterprets, as it is so hard for her to think she is lovable and assumes he wants to break up.

Neither is in a place where they can support the other. They don’t want to break up, but it has got to the point where there is too much they need to say and it’s just easier.

I’ve watched the series and read the book: love them both. At its heart is an universal love story. It’s interesting to see how it works in different mediums. I think the book gives the bones and the meat while the TV series provides the skin which is beautifully done. I love how how much can be conveyed in a single look, glance and word and captures the anguish of teenage love absolutely. The use of classic 70s and 80s songs in the series is genius resonating with all those 50somethings, of which I include myself, out there. It’s doubly poignant for lots of us as we will have children the same age as Marianne and Connell either heading to or going through university and we observe the whole cycle begin again.

The book and TV series does deserve to be analysed separately In there own right. For me each episode of the series was a perfect encapsulation of an significant event in the book for example in episode 11 when Marianne was being photographed by the Swedish boyfriend and she was clearly hating it but it took a voice over from Connell telling her she was loved and wasn’t worthless for her to gather the strength to stop the session and leave.

The book deals with themes which aren’t as well conveyed in the series such as Connell feelings of discomfort due to his socio economic status when he compares himself to Marianne’s wealthy and well connected friends at Trinity (I’m assuming Trinity college Dublin is the equivalent of Oxbridge in the U.K.) On several occasions when he and Marianne have misunderstandings he attributes them to this difference.

For Marianne and Connell their sexual connection and compatibility is central to their relationship. The book suggests Marianne and Connell both lack essential characteristics which enable them to be ‘normal ‘ functioning people: Connell lacks confidence and courage whereas Marianne lacks self worth and a belief she can be loved. They each give each other the qualities they lack: Marianne encourages Connell to apply to Trinity and go to New York and Connell tells Marianne she doesn’t have to put up with the abusive boyfriends and saves her from her brother. I think during sex their physical connection makes them both feel whole and afterwards they talk about being at peace with themselves and each other.

The book which has a direct and unique style also has lots of nods to other literary works including Romeo and Juliet, DHLawrence, Kazuyo Ishiguro and Orwell. The misunderstandings between Marianne and Connell are classic plot devices and I thought the ending was absolutely right and very believable; as 21year olds they should be going out into the world having experiences and doing great things not settling for marriage and a mortgage just yet. I believe if each other is their great love they’ll be back together in 10 years time and it’ll be interesting to see how time and maturity affects their relationship.

Sally Rooney talks about it here

Loving this thread and reading so many different perspectives. Good article here on the literary references in the TV adaptation www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/normal-people-books-literary-references-a4433016.html?__twitter_impression=true

Just finished watching this and i honestly feel like Sally Rooney must have been a fly on the wall in DP and I's early relationship. So many parallels, it's unearthed lots of memories and emotions I had buried/forgotten now we're 'settled.' My heart hurts after watching that. So very well done.

@Sparklingbrook

Completely agree! I think we did Henry V, Seamus Heaney poetry and I wanna say Catcher in the Rye for GCSE but clearly can't remember!

I would have remembered Connell and Marianne

What were they called Spark Notes or York Notes (where you basically hadn't read the book but jumped ahead to pretend you understood the themes). There should be one for Normal People.

Also I know what you mean about casting of the Jamie character.

My interpretation was he has little man 'Napoleon' syndrome where he tries to impose power over other people via sadism as that's the only way he can. Connell is his intellectual equal if not better and a superior physique. He has more money though. There was a scene where Connell and Marianne discuss height not being the only way to intimidate.

He has to be the opposite of Connell physically, philosophically, socio-economic etc. for contrast.

Jamie looks about 15, and I just can't see Marianne being attracted to someone who looks like that actor.

@KeepWashingThoseHands, yes, revision notes. And lots of pencil notes in the margins of the book.

I watched the last 2 episodes last night and feel bereft that it's over now. What on earth can I watch now as nothing will be the same...

Are you emotionally drained @caperplips? Maybe a comedy, until you recover.

@caperplips just watch it again I think I've watched it 3 times now..

HA! @covetingthepreciousthings I started watching it again last night and watched 3 episodes! Plus Dh hasn't seen it yet so will watch again with him

@sparklingbrook - yes! Emotionally drained for sure. I had been watching Schitts Creek for light relief in between Normal People but also finished that.

I started Dead to Me, but I'm not loving it at all

Just sharing this here incase anyone's interested, an interview with the cinematographer, I found it really interesting to hear about the influences etc.

@covetingthepreciousthings, I came across that yesterday and found it fascinating. The attention to detail is amazing.

I've just hinged watched this and bawled my eyes out through the latter episodes.

Loved it once I got past the first episode. Very intense.

Currently binge watching, was hoping someone else would be too. Unfortunately it's been very triggering for which is embarrassing because I'm not a teenager I'm bloody 35 with kids!!

I don't fit in anywhere with anyone other than my toxic on off "friendship" with a guy who is exactly the same.

We've had this on off cycle of being totally intense with each other then miss communication or head fuck at one end then we block each other, try something new, it only lasts so long then come back to each other like nothing ever happened and whole cycle repeats itself. It's so draining.

I'm crying a lot watching this because I can relate so much to both characters. Marianne willing to do anything to please Connell because she loves him so much and Connell making daft assumptions and not saying what he actually feels.

I'm hoping this is healing me a bit and showing that it's just a really toxic relationship set up, trauma bonding I think the actual name is for it.

I can understand that @imapenguinlover. It seems very close to home for you, it's making you ask yourself questions maybe?

I am way older than you and for me it took me back to my teen years totally. Not because I had a relationship like theirs as I was quite straightforward and obvious, just the young love stuff, and all the feelings that came with it.

I have rewatched a couple of episodes, I always stop watching after the NYE kiss as the first viewing of that end scene was enough!

It upset me a lot as well iamapenguin. In fact I couldn't get past the 5th episode. It felt so close to home and yet also so alien because I've never been in a love that was requited. So it's like I identified with all the pain and angst but with non of the pleasure (sexual or otherwise). I know I made a lot of mistakes in my early twenties and you never think at the time they're going to impact your whole life but they do. Sob.

It reminds me so much of a relationship I had where I would have done anything for the chap. It made me so vulnerable.