Book Log 2021 #14: Normal People by Sally Rooney

Connell and Marianne are from the same town, go to the same school, but travel in different circles. Connell is popular, outgoing, and middle class, while Marianne is a loner, kind of abrasive, and from a more affluent family (Connell's mom cleans her family's house). The pair strike up a relationship (one initially kept secret by Connell), and they drift in and out of each other's lives during the rest of their time at school. 

They both wind up at Trinity College in Dublin, and the change of venue leads to unexpected changes in personal status. Their relationship continues in its elliptical fashion, as both try to come to terms with who they are becoming, and if these new people can finally be together.

This was the It Book of 2018, and maybe I was jaded by all the accolades, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I did like it, but found it hard at times to understand the motivation behind how the characters acted (which I'm chalking up in part to being a Gen X reader of a book by and about millenials).  I'd be interested to see where these characters are today.