NORMAL PEOPLE
The Electricity of First Love on Hulu
Sally Rooney‘s second novel, Normal People, hasn’t even been on bookshelves for two years and a TV adaptation will be released soon. The Hulu series of the same name puts Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in the roles of Marianne and Connell.
Normal People follows Marianne and Connell as they weave in and out of each other’s lives. Marianne comes from a wealthy family and Connell’s mother works for Marianne’s mom. At school, Connell is the popular one and Marianne isn’t. They unexpectedly fall in love but keep their relationship a secret. This forbidden love, coupled with a battle against their insecurities, makes these two complex characters shine.
The trailer, which you can watch above, is set in Ireland and offers a glimpse into a narrative full of sex, secrets and past times. Marianne and Connell see each other in a crowded club and sneak off under the bright strobe lights. They enjoy hot nights in bed with passion radiating off the screen. But like all relationships, they face challenges.
Sally Rooney has a knack for crafting dynamic, relatable characters who lust for love. She makes you empathize with them while at the same time, they challenge you. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, is a poetic journey of love. Normal People is too.
“Though class difference is a major theme running throughout Rooney’s work, she is less interested than most of the writers above in the lived day-to-day experience of the era’s economy, the enervation and unrelieved dread about one’s ability to pay the bills while still doing intellectually rewarding work,” Andrew Martin wrote for The New York Times. “It’s worth noting that both of Rooney’s novels end before their protagonists graduate from college. It makes sense: as a writer, she is adept, on the level of both plot and subject matter, at deferring the reckoning until just the right moment.”
It’s exciting to see Sally Rooney’s characters come alive on any screen. For Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, this will likely be their breakout roles, propelling them into worldwide fame. Their on-screen chemistry is off the charts. With Room director Lenny Abrahamson directing the 12-episode series, Normal People should look and feel like a top-notch production. But we, here at PROVOKR, have a feeling a dozen episodes will be far too few. A whirlwind romance like this will wrap us in a tight cocoon that we won’t want to leave. But we’ll take what we can get, even if it is short-lived.
