Been a MINUTE since I wrote something. But my goodness, if you haven’t checked out the book or show: “Normal People”, now could be a good time 😉
What a ride. Sally Rooney does not hold back, in any capacity, to show how essential communication is, in any form of relationship. Intentions can be dramatically misunderstood, let alone detrimental to the emotional growth and safety of people.
The show is impressively loyal to the book. The female is secure in who she is as a person and what she wants, but the male is absolutely not. However, because he is unsure of himself— this unbelievably smart and cheeky girl is debilitated by his mixed signals. While he uses few words to clarify his feelings, he’s constantly saying things are “obvious,” while she finds everything to be quite the opposite. Ego, per usual, stands in the way of everything.
The amount of raw depictions of how common social interactions can cause the most complex thoughts had me obsessing, along with the main characters, of what exactly was left unsaid. The book does a better job at giving you context, but the show demonstrates how confusing it is to be a human with feelings, based on exactly what you’re seeing or hearing, considerably.
Honestly, what a deep artistic journey. I can’t imagine not reading or seeing something like this to remind us that being human is inherently…. mystifying. It’s works like this that can find us where we are and speak perspective into our souls. You would think understanding ourselves and one another would be a lot easier than it sounds. We’re all up for interpretation… like art. Sometimes, though, the release of untold stories can challenge our projected narratives- for the better- and we may be surprised by how much compassion could exist within humanity.
Perhaps acting “normal” is the one thing holding us back from the life we want.
Kirsing 