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Library/Book/Normal People
Grade A21 sourcesHIS-01316

Normal People

Book · 2018 · Notable

48Editable slideCertificate

A television adaptation took Sally Rooney’s Normal People to UK No. 1.

Trailer · Hulu on YouTube
Post · X
UK first-edition cover of Normal People, Faber & Faber
Sally Rooney; Faber & Faber (UK publisher); Hogarth (US publisher)
US cover of Normal People, Hogarth
Hogarth / Penguin Random House
Official trailer for the Hulu and BBC Three series
Hulu on YouTube
Sally Rooney
The Irish Times
Paul Mescal as Connell, wearing the silver chain
RTÉ
Connell and Marianne on the beach in the series
Digital Media Management
Sally Rooney in a green sweater
Irish Examiner
Beautiful World, Where Are You on sale in Hodges Figgis, Dublin
The Irish Times
Connell with his hands on his head on a football pitch
TIME

Spread Score

How it works
Reach63Contagion35Breadth60Velocity35Longevity3248

Numbers

Observed peak date
Week of May 3, 2020
Aug 30 ’18 to Week of May 3, 2020
Platforms
6
Started on Retail
Origin
Mixed
Media & publishing

Mechanics

  • Identity badge
  • Platform jumpPrimary
  • Press loop
  • Response chain
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Normal People won bookseller awards and became an Instagram status symbol. The BBC/Hulu adaptation brought fan accounts and a UK No. 1 for the novel, alongside paid influencer promotion. A later Nielsen award confirmed more than a million UK sales.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia viewsJun ’18SepDecMay ’19SepMar ’20MayJunAug ’21Oct ’22Dec ’23Observed peakPressRetailInstagramTVXOpen web
PressRetailInstagramTVXOpen web

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. July 2018

    Man Booker Prize precursor · Jul 24 ’18

    The Man Booker longlist included Rooney’s unpublished Normal People.[1][2]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. August 2018

    Sally Rooney / Faber & Faber seed · Aug 30 ’18

    Faber published Normal People in hardback.[2][3]

    UK first-edition cover of Normal People, Faber & Faber

  3. September 2018

    Anne Enright / The Irish Times press · Sep 1 ’18

    Anne Enright reviewed Normal People in The Irish Times.[4]

    Sally Rooney

  1. commercial · Nov 29 ’18

  2. platform jump · Apr 16 ’19

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Why it worked

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  1. 1
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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Media & publishing
Region
IE
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

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