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Normale Menschen

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2018 Rooney's sophomore novel once again focuses on post-millennial relationships, but at the same time, it's very different from her debut Conversations with Friends: The book revolves around the friendship/romantic involvement between Marianne, a rich kid who is perceived as an outsider at school, and Connell, a popular guy whose loving mother works as a cleaning woman in the mansion inhabited by Marianne's dysfunctional family. When Marianne and Connell enrol at Trinity College (Rooney's alma mater), their social status in their peer group changes: Now, Marianne is the popular kid. And that's more or less the whole story - once again, Rooney has written a page turner pretty much devoid of plot, a book that successfully focuses on the inner movements of and dynamics between its characters, and it works because Marianne and Coonnell, in all their shortcomings, are so complex and, yes, relatable. At least for me. Today, I listened to a radio piece by a well-known Austrian critic denouncing the book as pointless in an argument that can be summed up as "OK boomer". It's true that Rooney has been hailed as a typical voice of millennials - but is she, though? Isn't she more than that? I believe that her writing is more relatable to younger people as the stories present other young people living in the now, so in a very specific time ("Normal People" starts in January 2011). But the themes she tackles are universal: We hear about classism, wealth gaps, gender roles, peer groups, habitus, status, and - this is the core of Marianne's and Connell's story - the attempt to build and maintain intimacy with another person, both emotionally and sexually. They disappoint and betray each other, they go their separate ways, they get back together, they try to be friends, etc. - relationship status: It's complicated. I have a hunch that other generations have struggled with these issues as well, just in different contexts, in their specific time. Rooney's writing is very held-back, it's witty in a quiet way. There are no flashy po-mo tricks, there is no elaborate scene setting, it's even-paced and dialogue-heavy. This typical style has a hypnotic quality, it creates suspense without giving any suspense on the plot level - I can't wrap my head around the fact that there are quite some people out there who claim that Rooney can't write because she does not use all the tricks available in the book of postmodernity, but chooses a sleek, controlled style instead (which btw is very apt considering her topics and main characters). So all in all, Sally Rooney is clearly my kind of writer, and I'm already excited to pick up her third effort.