Setting

Physical setting

The novel Normal People by Sally Rooney takes place in Ireland. The two main locations are the town on Carricklea, in North-West Ireland, and Dublin, the capital. The town of Carricklea is fictional, but many locations including Trinity College in Dublin are real. Two chapters of the novel are set in Italy. The novel takes place during four years, between January 2011 and February 2015, as mentioned in the chapter titles. 

Marianne’s house is a significant location in the story as it is the place that allows Marianne and Connell to meet without an audience and to get to interact without the social pres...