Normal People: One million copies sold

Product Information

The book became a best-seller in the US, selling almost 64,000 copies in hardcover in its first four months of release.

Identity is self-directed performance art for Rooney’s protagonists, but it’s an impassable burden on characters of color. The books Anne recommended as a slight stretch feel perfect for Natalie as Amina and then the Daevabad trilogy have so much depth beyond being adventure/fantasy books and are a great next step into fantasy after Babel!Okay, Natalie, of the books we talked about, they were Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González, The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown, and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Their portrayal is stunning and the whole series has a mesmerising cinematic feel to it that had me spellbound. As a reader of color, her characters’ moments of self-absorption and privilege are jarring reminders to me that we are not the same. So reading for 30 minutes at night with the glow of my salt lamp in my cozy pajamas just allows my body to know that it's time for bed. Connell and Marienne are such prominent characters, and I loved the prose - simple, but Rooney has a way of writing that makes simple lines convey deep meanings, in a way that evoked thoughts I'd been feeling but didn't know how to express or think about.

So I just hope that folks are really tuning into themselves and turning to their libraries at home and just letting themselves read when they just need that time and that respite. Connell and Marianne's romance blossoms, but he is eager to keep their relationship a secret to protect his high social standing in school.

Connell and his mother are very close in contrast to the high tension between Marianne and her family, which continues to grow.