Normal People, the 2018 novel by the Irish novelist Sally Rooney, tells the story of a romance between two young people in contemporary Ireland. The novel was received extraordinarily well by both critics and readers, garnering Rooney an international audience: the novel sold nearly 64,000 copies within four months of its hardcover release in the U.S. alone. Rooney was celebrated as a pioneering novelist of her generation, simultaneously capturing the experience of other millennials and hearkening back to the novels of the nineteenth century. Normal People was longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction, and won the U.K.'s Costa Book Award.
The book also received largely positive reviews. NPR noted that Rooney's prose "cuts to the heart," while Kirkus Reviews described the book as "absolutely enthralling." Others praised the novel's treatment of political issues, especially class, in light of the book's critiques of inequality and capitalism. An analysis in The Atlantic argued that the book "suggests that...despite the helplessness that Rooney’s characters feel in the face of global capitalism, and class differences, and the judgments of others, radical politics can work on a small scale and are worth pursuing even if the world’s broader inequalities feel both inevitable and unsolvable." Normal People did receive some negative reviews as well: Lauren Oyler, in Bookforum, called its ending "really cheesy."
In 2020, Normal People was produced as a TV series, airing on BBC 3 and on the streaming service Hulu. The series, which starred Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, was also met with largely positive reviews. Vulture noted its "intoxicating wistful and melancholy vibe." The New York Times called it "moving and emotionally wrenching," noting its faithfulness to the source material. It was nominated for an Emmy award.
