Sally Rooney’s novel ‘Normal People’ was featured on Barack Obama’s Favourite Books of 2019 list, and people can’t quite believe it.
The coming-of-age novel follows Irish teenagers Marianne and Connell, who attend the same secondary school in a small town in the West of Ireland.
In school, Connell is popular and well-liked, while Marianne is seen as an outsider – but then everything changes when both of them are accepted into Trinity College in Dublin.
While ‘Normal People’ has been critically acclaimed, fans of the book just can’t picture the former US President reading a book about “horny lonely Irish college students”.
Something about Obama reading Sally Rooney is so funny to me…sitting in his bigass study and a sturdy oak desk reading about horny lonely Irish college students going to cafes writing poetry and sendin each other emotionally distressing emails https://t.co/KsLUaop3k1
— aaron (@aronlevins) December 28, 2019
Sally Rooney is trending again because Obama read ‘Normal People’ and I’m once again wondering if I somehow read a different book to everyone else pic.twitter.com/fXzUjgWDmF
— Laura (@ElleEmSee) December 29, 2019
been spending the last 2-3 min imagining obama reading sally rooney pic.twitter.com/LnQ9hmCQvZ
— sebastian castillo (@bartlebytaco) December 28, 2019
I’m having such a hard time believing that Obama actually took the time out to read sally rooney’s normal people
— cyberspace garbage (@pankhuriiiiii) December 30, 2019
It is honestly hilarious to me to imagine Obama reading Normal People by Sally Rooney, which is like this very horny novel by an overtly marxist author about lonely college students in rural Ireland. It was really good though he’s right to recommend it
— Dominic (@dhshoopmann) December 29, 2019
It gives me so much joy knowing Obama read about the debs and the leaving cert and small Irish towns yup Sally Rooney https://t.co/hbQ5VprKN9
— Elle (@Ellelawlorxo) December 29, 2019
The image of Barack Obama reading Sally Rooney already made my 2020 that hasn’t started yet. https://t.co/HoNGB3rAR9
— Soman Chainani (@SomanChainani) December 29, 2019
absolutely love the idea that barack obama, along with every leopard print midi skirted woman on the uws, read and enjoyed sally rooney’s normal people pic.twitter.com/X7tAezXyPP
— Caryn Sherbet (@ca_sherb8) December 29, 2019
Sally Rooney’s Normal People is on Obama’s favourite books of 2019. Imagine Barack reading all about about Connell and Marianne in Carricklea in Sligo ???? https://t.co/rcjSGhxTcj
— Maria McCann (@BBCmariamc) December 29, 2019
Obama endorsing ‘Normal People’ as a novel is great news for the BBC, as the book is set to be released as a BBC TV adaption early next year.
The series is being directed by Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson, and will star British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne, and Paul Mescal as Connell.
In the final Gosscast episode of 2019, Goss.ie Founder Ali Ryan and Goss.ie Editor Kendra Becker talk through the biggest stories of the year.
From the Tristan Thompson and Jordyn Woods scandal to the Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney drama, the girls are spilling all the tea. Take a listen:
Listen on iTunes and Spotify: