Marianne

One of the two protagonists of Normal People, Marianne is a young woman from a well-to-do family in search of her authentic identity as she moves from high school into adulthood. Known for her sharpness, academic standing, and private life, Marianne has few friends before she leaves for college. Because her classmates do not understand her, they often tease and bully her. Once Marianne begins seeing Connell in secret, she feels the closest she has ever felt to having some sense of social standing. She tries to mask the depth of her feelings for Connell in her perceived confidence and self-assuredness.

When she begins school at Trinity in Dublin, Marianne discovers a new side of herself. She gains friends and popularity, and begins dating men who in the past would not have noticed her. As her complicated on-and-off-again affair with Connell continues over the course of three years...