Normal People by Sally Rooney

Marianne is sort of quirky and doesn't fit into her well off family and Connell's mom is their housekeeper so their friendship is not typical in this small Irish town. It continues on the side but at school, they steer clear of each other. Soon they begin an on again/off again romance that will last through their university days in Dublin. They are complete opposites in the sense that Marianne doesn't care about what people think and Connell is obsessed with fitting in and his reputation. In high school, they seemed lost. In college, they seemed lost. Later in life, they are still lost. When Marianne gets herself in a toxic relationship Connell is powerless to save her. I enjoyed the writing style but could not identify with the characters. It is a sad look at two young people who loved each other but didn't understand the first thing about each other and were anything but normal people.