Deserved, in fairness.
Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel Normal People has been included on Barrack Obama’s list of favourite books for 2019.
The book, released earlier this year, follows the intertwining lives of Marianne and Connell, two teenagers from rural Ireland who despite the glaring differences in their social standings, consistently find themselves drawn to one another.
Detailing their lives from school until their undergraduate years, the novel presents a version of love that is both intense and frustrating, as well as heartbreaking and completely recognisable.
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and currently in the works for a BBC adaptation, it’s hardly surprising that Obama himself has too been praising Rooney’s work.
Sharing the list of his favourite books of the year, he said that reading – like many other things – enhances a person’s life.
“This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too,” he said.
“Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences.
“They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit.
“To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.”
Also included in Obama’s list were Albert Woodfox’s Solitary, Sarah M Broom’s The Yellow House, and Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise.
Normal People will air next year on BBC Three and BBC One.
