1.    “Not for the first time Marianne thinks cruelty does not only hurt the victim, but the perpetrator also, and maybe more deeply and more permanently. You learn nothing very profound about yourself simply by being bullied; but by bullying someone else you learn something you can never forget.” Considering Marianne’s claim, do you agree with her? Why or why not?

2.   The first half of Normal People is centered around the main conflict of Connell being so concerned with his peer’s opinions that he refuses to publicly acknowledge Marianne. Do you blame Connell for his actions? Do you sympathize with him or with Marianne?

3.   Connel said, “Marianne lived a drastically free life, he could see that. He was trapped by various considerations. He cared what people thought of him.” While there are similarities, both Connell and Marianne are different and complex people. Which one do you relate to more? Why?

4.   Author Rooney uses Connell and Marianne to display power in a few different ways throughout Normal People. Where do you see different kinds of power (societal, financial, etc) portrayed in Connell and Marianne’s relationship? At what points does the power shift?

5.   Consider the title Normal People. Why might Author Rooney have chosen this title? What makes someone “normal”?

6.   Both Connell and Marianne suffer from mental health problems throughout the book. Building off the previous question, how might Author Rooney’s portrayal of mental illness in Normal People help to destigmatize it? Do “normal people” sometimes suffer from a mental health crisis like both Connell and Marianne do?

7.   Early on, Connell says to Marianne, “I love you. I’m not just saying that, I really do.” Do you believe Connell? Do you think he loved Marianne throughout the entire book?

8.   If you were to operate under the assumption that Connell did love Marianne, is that love any less real since they were never in an official relationship? Reflect on the dating environment in our society, does love need a label?

Adapted from: https:// libromaniacs.com/normal-people-book-club-questions/n-hoffman?start=3