Here's what our booksellers think of a Normal People adaptation

It was recently announced that everyone’s favourite book, Normal People by Sally Rooney, is being adapted into a TV show for the BBC. This has produced mixed responses around the office – some of us have said, ‘Oh, yes!’, and some of us have said ‘Oh, no!’

Normal People is Sally Rooney’s second novel in a literary career sparked by the outstanding Conversations with Friends. Normal People is a frank, honest and devastating portrayal of a fractured relationship between two desperately lonely people; and an exquisite love story about how a person can change another’s life.

With the novel holding such a profound place in the hearts of readers worldwide, we asked our booksellers what they loved about Normal People, and, just as importantly, how do they feel about an adaptation?


‘I really disliked Conversations with Friends (Rooney’s first novel) much to the dismay of, well, everyone. When Normal People was published I was persuaded by trustworthy colleagues with very good taste in books to try it. 'It’s different!’, they all said. So, I did try it and as it turns out, they were all quite right. It is different. I read Normal People in one sitting and I’ve been recommending it – along with every other bookseller worldwide – since. The relationship between Marianne and Connell is complicated and complex while also being tender, unassuming and all-engrossing. Rooney wonderfully conveys all the ways that friendships and relationships can change the course of a person’s life; how difficult it is to discuss feelings with another person and just how simple it is to be misunderstood and for everything to fall apart. Do I want to see an adaption to television? Absolutely not. No doubt the BBC will do a fine job, but I’ll stick with the book, thanks very much.‘

– Kara Liddell, Doncaster shop manager


'Sally Rooney’s writing is so real and wonderful that my 20-year-old daughter read Normal People throughout one night. This may not seem such a big deal, except she has a very high level of dyslexia and reading is not easy. She has to say each word out loud and trace the lines with her finger. She was exhausted the next day, but still all she wanted to do was talk about Connell and Marianne and all the people she knew that were just like them.’

– Chris Gordon, programming and events manager


‘While I am a die-hard proponent of the theory that the book is always better than the film, I am pretty excited about this one. Like any Rooney-tragic, I am constantly desperate for more of her stories at all times, and isn’t a TV adaption just another way of telling a story? I am angling for a viewing party with a few (equally nerdy) friends of mine who are also obsessed with Rooney and Normal People, and I think it will be great fun to discuss what the show does well, and where (if anywhere) it doesn’t live up to the hype.’

– Ellen Cregan, marketing and events coordinator


‘Like lots of people, when I read Normal People back in December, I had been driven to it by hype and was generally sceptical. But then I read it. Or, more accurately, I devoured it. Forty-eight hours later, I was a Rooney convert. To me, Normal People perfectly encapsulated the profound and poignant heartache of two people desperate to be together, but who can’t find either the courage or the vulnerability. As for an adaptation, I have my doubts. The book nailed that 'skinny love’ feeling, which in fiction relies heavily on the unspoken, the unshown (so much of Marianne and Connell’s relationship is explored through their internal monologues, not through word or deed). I’m concerned that these rich inner worlds could be lost on the screen, or perhaps weakened by voiceover. But that’s not to say that a TV show can’t get this right. I, for one, will definitely be tuning in.‘

– Georgia Brough, digital content coordinator

Cover image for Normal People

Normal People

Sally Rooney

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops