Warning: This article contains spoilers from the first season of Stan’s Normal People and the short story .
Since its April release on Stan, Normal People has captivated audiences around the world.
The evocative modern-day love story of Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) was so popular that fans couldn’t get enough.
Not only did it catapult the two leads to stardom but it even but also inspired a 200% rise in the sales of silver chains worn by Mescal in the series.
While there are no plans for a second season — as the production team is focused on creating Sally Rooney’s other breakout novel, Conversations With Friends — a 2016 short story has been uncovered which was written by Rooney for The White Review.
The chapter, called At The Clinic, was actually penned before she wrote the novel (which was published in 2018), however, it was after this that she realised she needed to turn it into a full story.
The ending of Normal People left fans in utter despair (you think I’m exaggerating — but I’m not). Just as we thought the pair had finally found their groove, Connell is accepted to a college in New York, leaving his on-again-off-again girlfriend behind.
The uncovered “sequel” takes place when the pair is 23 — one or two years after the events of the novel, and still friends, Connell takes Marianne to a dental clinic.
Here’s what we know happened to them.
Will They, Won’t They
While the short story opens with the pair having sex on Connell’s sofa (surprise, surprise) just like the novel and the subsequent TV series, the couple is still engaging in a “will they, won’t they” end up together.
Marianne has just broken up with graphic designer Daniel, who from Connell’s point of view, treated her badly and would tie her up and hit her with a belt.
Connell had a girlfriend called Lauren whom he was dating for 10 months before she moved away and cheated on him.
The story centres around the couple as Connell takes Marianne to a dental clinic because of an infected tooth and we find out he takes her to get UTI tests as well. Standard “Connanne”.
Marianne Dreams That She and Connell Get Married
Marianne reveals that she and Daniel broke up because she had a dream that she and Connell had gotten married and then told him about it.
Connell Still Suffers From Crippling Depression
For anyone who had watched the series, this was such an emotional ride and it seems, Connell is still grappling with his mental health.
He is described as feeling “depressed” and also Googles “Why can’t I feel things”.
You can read the full short, At the Clinic at The White Review.