Normal People - Discussion Questions

 

1. While in high school, Connell avoids being publicly seen with Marianne, an outcast in school, fearing how their association might damage his reputation.
Were you critical of Connell for the way he treated Marianne in school, or were you sympathetic toward his adolescent self-consciousness?  

 

2. How does Connell’s upbringing compare and contrast to Marianne’s? 

 

3. Do you think that Connell takes advantage of Marianne's feelings toward him in the beginning?

 

4. Which character did you identify more with, Connell or Marianne? Did you prefer one character over the other? 

 

5.  When they move from the countryside to attend college in Dublin, there is somewhat of a role reversal between Connell and Marianne. Can you explain?

 

Connell, once popular in secondary school, is scrutinized and mocked at Trinity College for his fashion sense and thick Galway accent, and he is even called a "milk-drinking culchie" (154). Marianne on the other hand, herself from a wealthy family, moves at ease through an elitist social scene. 

 

6. Why do you think that Connell is uncomfortable with Marianne's new circle? Does it have to do with money and privilege, or is there something more to it? 

 

7.  Despite being so close, Connell and Marianne sometimes miscommunicate and misinterpret each other. Do you think their relationship would have turned out differently if Connell had stayed with Marianne that summer?

 

 This can be seen when Connell, unable to pay rent in Dublin, moves back to Carricklea to save money during the summer of 2012, after he fails to directly ask Marianne if he can move in with her.
 

8. Do you think that Marianne and Connell's relationship could have turned out differently if they had been able to communicate better? 
 

9. Do you think it's a good thing that Connell and Marianne take a break from each other? How did you feel about the ending?  

 

10. Discuss the significance of the title Normal People. What makes a person normal, according to each of the characters? According to your own standards? Do you think Marianne and Connell are normal? Why or why not, and by whose standards? 

 

11. Do you like the book? How many stars would you rate the book?  

 

12. Do you hope that Sally Rooney will write a sequel? Where do you envision Connell and Marianne in five or ten years' time?