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Read a fiction after a long time. I was actually looking for a fiction that'd be intelligent and after reading several reviews, I kind of got the sense that this book might be the one. Given that it was so short, I took a chance.

Many would call this novel the Salinger for the Snapchat generation. Guardian reportes on how Normal People became the literary phenomenon of the decade and forsees it to be a classic in the future. Many critics would deem Normal People as a nineteenth century novel dressed up in contemporary clothing. The Times called it the best novel published this year(2018) and that it should really win the Man Booker prize 2018( this was of course prior to Milkman being announced the winner of the Man Booker prize). 

Notable writers like Zadie Smith were blown away by Sally Rooney’s talent and a lot of your favourite author, Elif Batumen, couldn’t put the book down. 
Long listed for the Man Booker prize, the novel has been very well received by the masses, as a 4.2 on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and a 4 on Amazon would say so. 
However, there’s also a huge number of people who absolutely hated it. Well, you can only know whether you love it or hate it once you read it. The book isn’t a huge time commitment: it’s really short(250 pages) with fairly simple English. 

Finishing it few minutes back, Im really confused about how i feel about this book. Im not absolutely head over heals with it and neither am i like those reviewers who wished they had not wasted their time on this book.

That being said, if there's anything I want to do right now then it would be giving Marianne a long, tight hug.

Whenever I think about this book, I think of the characters in dark, cloudy settings. The novel has a depressing air to it from the very start despite the absence of something seriously depressing.

I have never read any other YA author's books except for John Green's, whose works-books, crash course, some vlogbrother videos, his Tedtalk( which is also the only Tedtalk I only ever loved)-I adore. And I could relate so much with him for he is a nerd who's not a good student( just like me!)Anyway, so what I was saying is, I tried other YA fictions but several got rejected for their synopses and many didn't get thumbed past the first few pages. Normal People was unlike those. Sally Rooney was the second YA author I read after John green.

Connell and Marianne( the two protagonists) of Salley Rooney's novel, " Normal People", were smart. They talk about politics, exchange books like, "Communist Manifesto" or on James Baldwin's books on racism. They would talk about, money and how it's less real than time which has physics to it. They would email each news links to current political dilemmas or would participate in processessions protesting against things like like the Gaza war. I also loved how Sally Rooney showcased intimacy between the characters by mentioning that they were having deep meaningful conversation instead of typically having sex. Though, these were a very little part of the book. And, Alas! I'm still on my quest to finding a book where the characters bond mostly by talking and not just sex.

The thing that gave depth to the novel( and their relationship) is the time they spent together. It spanned over 4/5 years. Though I do wish that it had been 10 years or more. And their on again; off again or will they; won't they relationship would make the novel page turn-y and probably at the same time a bit annoying. At times I do feel like that they could have set aside their egos and be more frank to each other. Sometimes, I feel like they are deliberately making things complex. And at times I'd be bothered by the immaturity of it all. But, again, what do I know? I'm a kid who still lives on his parents, while they are also just kids but, in my eyes, living the lives 35/ 40 year olds.

Given the accolades the author received for her novel, I started out the book with high anticipation. Midway, things got boring. Thankfully, it picked up its momentum in the end. There were times when I was engrossed into the novel but there were also times when I dragged myself to read it.

The ending was pretty normal. Things were pretty static. The novel ended just like it had started, with the minor ups and downs in between.

Bottom line: I loved Sally Rooney enough to give her debut novel, "Conversations With Friends" a try.