"I'd underestimated my vulnerability. I'd lied to everyone, to Melissa, even to Bobbi, just so I could be with Nick. I had left myself no-one to confide in, no one who would feel any sympathy for what I'd done."
If there's anyone left on earth that didn't watch the miniseries or read the source novel of Normal People, Sally Rooney's other novel, then I feel perhaps that might be the book to start with. This novel predates the more famous one, in fact it was her debut. While its hard not to draw parallels in its reflection of college age complex relationships between the novels, they are significantly different and I wonder if my appreciation of Normal People was greater because it was centred on the main relationships, whereas the waters are far more cloudy here which might have diluted the intensity.
Perhaps where the author is the most successful is in highlighting the discrepancy between the filtered, shiny images we portray of ourselves externally and the dark confusion that reigns inside. The protagonist, Frances, has an intense bond with her best friend Bobbi, who had been her girlfriend and partner in spoken word poetry. The fact that Frances writes all the poetry and Bobbi seemed to hang on her coat-tails was the first indication that their relationship was destined to become rocky.
A meeting with a literary journalist, Melissa, and her handsome, actor husband, Nick leads to friendships and a love affair that will shake the foundations of everyone involved.I read most of this while sweating away in an infrared
sauna and the pages flew by - I managed to not sweat on the pages (it was difficult).
Covid permitting, the BBC has announced that this will also be adapted for television and it will be interesting to see who they cast as the dishy, but troubled Nick.
5 out of 5, read this before they film it!!
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