I get why they’re there. When she returns, two summers later, the Liars are there to help her remember what happened before the accident... except that (HUGE SPOILER ALERT GO READ THE BOOK) at the end of the book we realize that the Liars aren't actually there, they're ghosts because they all died in a fire the summer that she was 15. So I guess I just have very low tolerance when it comes to the behavior of teenage boys? One of the sisters is suspected of having poisoned them. Now Read: Where is Normal People filmed? But, what are the differences between the series and original book? Though Marianne confides in Connell about her abusive father, she says that he hit only her mother, never her. The pacing flows all the better with their absence, and the central dynamic between Marianne and Connell benefits from the extra screen time, particularly since the series necessarily takes us outside their heads and deprives us of their inner monologues. I hate the ending. There are a few more pages to go after that, but your life is already pretty ruined at that point. Unpicking the show's ending, and how it compares to Sally Rooney's novel. At its core, Normal People is, in both its forms, a story about understanding—between Marianne and Connell, yes, but also between the author and the audience. If you want the full breakdown before committing to a full season of streaming fare, read on. And where are they now? Olivia: That’s such a good way to look at it! Marianne’s difficult (read: abusive) home life figures heavily into the novel. Who among us hasn’t wondered if saying the right thing would have gotten that person to stay, or how things would have turned out if we’d gotten the chance to reconnect with an old flame? Olivia: I don’t know!! But when you're reading a book, you're left alone to deal with that surprise ending all by yourself. Marianne tells Connell not to promise her anything, as he tells her: “You know I love you and I’m never going to feel the same way about anyone else.”. Lauren: But Olivia! The time jumps, I feel far more conflicted about. Normal People ending explained: How BBC Three TV series’ finale differs from the book. And I felt the need to do that with Normal People, even though I found myself wishing I could keep reading. Not exactly a functional family dynamic. Paris Fashion Week Spring 2021’s Best Looks, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. A little girl is presented with a chance to make herself immortal, she (SPOILER ALERT) doesn't take it, and then she grows up and lives a life and dies of old age. The result: Marianne has a far more difficult time explaining the extent of her family troubles to Connell, and even the audience may not fully understand just how volatile her home life really is until close to the end of the series. The ending is abrupt, and somehow it’s both extremely appropriate, stylistically and thematically, and extremely frustrating at the same time. It made it feel more like I was reading a series of short stories than a novel. This isn’t exactly surprising; barring incessant voice-overs, there isn’t much a filmed adaptation can do to replicate the introspectiveness of the written word. Rooney absolutely nailed the way we sometimes hang on to what is comfortable as we inch closer toward our futures, even if what we’re hanging onto doesn’t always fit into our new lives. So check out these book endings, and enjoy your new, ruined life: Ender's Game is upsetting from page one, since it mostly revolves around a young boy named Ender going to a scary space military school to learn how to fight aliens. Which is fine? We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. And they’re happy. Read More: How old is Normal People actor Paul Mescal and who is he dating? Everyone else in their family is dead. Marianne’s home life is still fraught, to be sure, but there are glimpses of affection between Marianne and her mother that are wholly absent from the book. Faithfully adapting a book for TV or film is always a challenge, triply so when—as in Normal People—the story exists largely inside the characters’ heads. Connell’s relationship with Helen, for instance, gets fleshed out quite a bit more in the book, enough for us to learn that Helen is a bit of a prude and that Connell sees the traits Helen brings out in him as some of his best qualities; these insights are absent from the series. Both Edgar-Jones and Mescal can communicate an entire world of emotion with the dart of an eye, and they are often called upon to do so. How Imogen Heap Ended Up in 'Normal People', 'Normal People' Is Coming to Hulu in a Few Hours, New 'Normal People' Episodes Coming for Charity, Watch the 'Normal People' & 'Fleabag' Crossover, Model Ebonee Davis Is Normalizing Being Abnormal. Normal People Ending Explained; Features ... How the Normal People Ending Differs From The Book.