This is Sally Rooney's second novel (Conversations With Friends was published in 2017), and has been long listed for the Man Booker Prize. Sally Rooney was born in 1991.
Normal People tells the story of students Connell and Marianne, who are from a small town in the west of Ireland. They are from very different backgrounds - Marianne is a loner from a privileged family, Connell is popular and confident, and from a poorer family. They strike up an unlikely, secret friendship, which the book traces over the next four or five years. The remarkable thing about the book is the way in which it is written. It's deceptively plain and linear, but the story it tells is complex and nuanced, the characters and dialogue totally convincing as their awkward, on-again-off-again relationship evolves. It has a lot to say about how friends and lovers interact, and is very moving. Don't be surprised if it wins the Booker, Sally Rooney is definitely a writer to watch.