Connell and Marianne are classmates growing up in the same small town in Ireland, but their similarities end there. Marianne lives with her family in a mansion, while Connell's mother is their cleaner.

Connell is popular and well-liked at school, while Marianne has no friends. One day, however, they start an awkward conversation and their lives change.

A year later, they are students in Dublin. Marianne has become social, unlike Connell who, now shy and insecure, does not seem to enjoy student life. They both experiment with romantic experiences, but, unable to resist, they keep coming back to each other. Until they are faced with how far they can go to save each other.

Normal People. A story about two people - captivating and complex - who try to stay apart but fail. A story about how our traumas shape us and how difficult it is to change who we are. And it reveals, with heartbreaking tenderness, how love controls us and how, no matter how much we hurt and get hurt, we always desire to love and be loved.

Best book of the year:
The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, NPR, The Paris Review, O: The Oprah Magazine