review of "normal people" by sally rooney

i finished this book today, and i have to say: it really struck me, but i hadn't been expecting anything less. 

unlike most romance books i read, which are usually lighthearted and obviously fictional, this one felt real. it felt raw. it felt like i was stepping into somebody else's brain and finding unexpected things to resonate with every other page. 

there is an inexplicable ache in crossing paths with someone who you just know will never quite leave you. they might physically exit your life, distancing themselves from you in a way that, on the surface, can look final. but it's never final. once you find someone who mirrors you, who grows alongside you, who somehow exists in the same way that you do and whose soul feels like the most familiar part of your own, i guess it's safe to say that you're screwed. once they've intertwined their being with yours, there is no turning back. the more time passes, the heavier the feeling. the longer the distance, the stronger the pull.

i saw that reflected in connell and marianne's story. they were each other's inevitable. each other's best and each other's worst. there was one quote i highlighted at the end which goes, "he brought her goodness like a gift and now it belongs to her". that hit deep on so many levels, and it will hit you deep too if you've ever met someone at your lowest point who ended up waking you up and bringing you back to life. they will open your eyes and you will finally be able to see that there's life around you. your horizons will broaden and amidst all the bittersweetness, you will find a quiet peace. 

and when they go, the quiet peace never leaves. it's part of you now.

i recommend this book to everyone who, like myself, feels everything extremely deeply and understands how brightly the fire of love can burn.