‘Normal People’ Is The Rare TV Show That’s Better Than The Book

My short review of Hulu’s new series Normal People is “OMG I love it so much.”

My longer review, with a bit more context and hopefully useful information (but hey, maybe not), is as follows.

I watched the first six episodes of Normal People, which were directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger, Frank), during the last week of 2019 (Hettie McDonald directs the second half of the 12-episode series). I had not yet read the bestselling novel by Sally Rooney, but after being unable to look away from the first six installments of the half-hour series, I ran out to buy the book and tore through it in an afternoon. Yes, I was then that person who totally Instagrammed a picture of it. It’s all part of the process.

I would normally not start a TV review with a personal anecdote, but I believe it matters here for this show specifically, which also feels so personal. This show, I felt it. Deeply. Normal People is the story of two teens in Ireland, Marianne and Connell, and follows them through their eventful relationship in high school and college. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal are the actors that have so beautifully captured these complex characters in the series and a huge part of why this show is such an incredible watch.

It was necessary that the two leads in this story have the right chemistry, but here, it’s off the charts. Their performances are nothing short of phenomenal, and anyone who hopes the show stays true to the book is sure to be pleased. The way these two are able to balance the pressure and struggles of their social status with the yearning of their hearts and bodies is palpable. It is this on-screen chemistry that helps to make the show feel incredibly intimate and vulnerable and overwhelmingly effective. Where the book glosses over sex scenes, the show shows them, and in a way that is special and gorgeous. The whole vibe of Normal People; the look, the sound, the lighting, the camera placements, and the full cinematography here, contributes in such a vital way to how this story is told.

If you also love a good love story, well, this is a great one. It’s simply a relationship that’s complicated in the way that it plays out and what is said and, hugely, what is not said, but entirely uncomplicated in the fact that these two are inherently drawn towards each other. It doesn’t feel accurate to describe this show as “sexy” because it’s not pervy the way these two express their love; it’s emotional and tender and romantic, but in a realistic way.

To be totally honest, I found the show to be better than the book. Normally, I am a “the book is better!” person, though we do often love that which we discover first, so perhaps there is some bias present. But what I was watching with my eyes, I felt in my body. I found this show to be completely spellbinding, that the story between these two people took over my life, and not in a way that was necessarily relatable per see, but purely authentic. Normal People will punch you in the gut just as much as it embraces you in a hug and I’ll happily let it do so again during the many viewings I’m sure to embark on.

The entire season of Normal People will be available on Hulu on Wednesday, April 29th. 

Where to stream Normal People