When we finished watching Normal People a couple of weeks ago, we were left with some resounding questions: How does one man make a silver chain look so sexy? Could we pull off a Marianne-style fringe? And most importantly, will those two make it work?
Questions one and two are still pending, but at least we now have a bit of an insight into what happened to Marianne and Connell's relationship, after the show (and book) ended.
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In fact, author Sally Rooney has already written about Connell and Marianne post Normal People, giving us a glimpse into what could have been after Connell jetted off to New York to attend a graduate writer's course.
This is because the book is actually based on a short story published in The White Review back in 2016, which Rooney wrote before Normal People. At The Clinic follows the couple, aged 23, as Marianne goes to have a wisdom tooth removed.
After writing the short story, Rooney wanted to explore the couple's relationship further, which is how Normal People came about. She told the New Statesman: "I kept wanting to write about these characters who were in their early twenties [...] and their relationship had this texture to it because of their history.
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"Eventually, I thought, what if I just went back and just told their story from the beginning, chronologically."
Rooney wrote At The Clinic before she delved deeper into their relationship in Normal People, so it's unknown whether she would have altered any details slightly if she were to have written the short story after the book itself.
However, much seems the same between the misunderstood couple. They're still in love and drifting in and out of each other's lives in between unsuccessful relationships.
Connell has just split up with his girlfriend Lauren, after she cheated on him. in true Connell fashion, he failed to feel anything at all following the indiscretion and wondered if he had even cared about her.
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Meanwhile, Marianne had just split with a man named Daniel, who by the sounds of it had a similar personality to Jamie. And as per, Connell isn't a fan.
You can read the full short story here. And if you've been missing Sally Rooney's amazing work, we have some good news.
BBC are working on *another* adaptation - this time of Rooney's first book, Conversations with Friends.
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It tells the story of Frances and Bobbi, two college students studying in Dublin. They used to be lovers, but have remained close since their breakup, working the city's literary circuit as spoken word performers.
When they are interviewed and then befriended by well-known journalist Melissa, who is married to Nick, an actor, they are thrust into a glamorous world of rubbing shoulders with actors and holidays in Provence. Things become even more complex when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer.
The series will, again, be produced with Element Pictures and made in partnership with Hulu for BBC Three.
We've got a feeling we're going to love it...
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Books, Normal People, Entertainment News, Life News, TV News