Normal People by Sally Rooney is a book I think everyone should read at least once. The novel follows the story of a girl and a boy, Marianne and Connell whose lives are as opposite as can be. Connell is the typical popular highschool boy adored by everyone. Charismatic, cute, and funny. Marianne is the girl people do not acknowledge and when they do it is not the good kind of attention. People think she is strange so she does not have many friends. While Connell is of a lower class, Marianne’s family is wealthy. Connell’s mother is Marianne’s cleaning lady, forcing the two to interact at times. As the story develops and the two go off to college, they meet again and realize they are now completely opposite to who they used to be. At first glance this might seem like the typical teenage love story where the two fall in love and live happily ever after, defying social norms and going against everything that is acceptable according to their peers. This is not remotely close to what happens which is why I love this book. Although the novel could be classified as a romance, it is different from all love stories I have read. Normal People is less about them falling in love and more about what it truly means to love someone and therefore what it means to be human. Their story is far from perfect, it is messy and complicated, yet they help each other grow and teach each other to be better. I believe their problems and fallouts are what make their journey one of the purest forms of love. This is what makes them normal people.