Rooney's "Conversations With Friends" actually came out before "Normal People," and themes of first love and self-discovery are abundantly clear in both texts.
Frances and Bobbi are at the heart of the novel, lovers who transitioned into platonic friends after their high school romance. Frances is the wandering writer, while Bobbi is the fiercely confident performer. Somehow they complete each other, almost functioning as one person as they perform spoken word poems together.
But their dynamic changes when they meet Melissa, a famous photographer, and her actor husband Nick. Melissa welcomes the girls into her life, and Bobbi is immediately in awe of Melissa while Frances slowly finds herself gravitating toward Nick, who is 12 years her senior.
Frances and Nick fall into an affair, and they're both surprised by the depth of their connection — which in no way lessens the feelings they have for Bobbi and Melissa. Like "Normal People," "Conversations With Friends" is equal parts romance and personal growth story, as readers watch Frances discover who she is and what she wants through the affair.
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