"Normal People:" The novel or the series?
BySarah Hawks, Contributor
February 14, 2022
Over the past few months, I have repeatedly seen Sally Rooney’s novel and mini-series "Normal People" being discussed on Tik Tok. Succumbing to the trend, I thought I would give the book and the Hulu series a try.
Marianne and Connell, are two teenagers living very different lives at the same school. Marianne is a brilliant conservative student while Connell is a star football player who has a secret passion for literature. Connell’s mother works for Marianne’s family, each day when Connell picks up his mother, a connection grows between him and Marianne.
We follow Marianne and Connell through their college years in a frustrating, emotionally complex love story.
The novel goes deeper into Connell’s and Marianne’s thoughts more than the series ever could.
The book sometimes feels like it’s dragging and some of the inner dialogue seems unnecessary, however, it does provide context to Connell’s and Marianne’s seemingly odd behaviors.
When you watch Hulu’s adaptation the sequence of events does not flow as naturally, often leaving you feeling like you are missing context.
The novel does provide descriptive language for the more visual scenes, yet the series visuals are so beautifully done it leaves you with a feeling the novel never could.
The visuals were tremendously stimulating that I wanted to binge-watch the series. Without the cinematography and compelling soundtrack, the story of the characters was not enough for me to read the novel quickly.
Despite enjoying the series more, I do recommend reading the novel beforehand to draw parallels between the two.
