Sally Rooney's Normal People has been a cult favourite since it was published in 2018. It's a painful and raw story about young love and the transition into adulthood that will strike a chord with anyone who reads it. And, thanks to a BBC and Hulu adaptation (sadly not yet available in the UAE), Connell and Marianne's love story has enjoyed a new wave of fans around the world.
The book has shot back up to the top of charts, and it has left a host of bereft readers in its wake, desperately searching for something to fill the Normal People-shaped hole finishing the book and series has left in their lives.
Here are five books that will strike a chord with Normal People fans …
‘Conversations with Friends’ by Sally Rooney
The next natural step is to look to Rooney's other works. Sadly, the young Irish author doesn't have a huge back catalogue for her fans to devour, but Normal People was not her first book. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, has the same simple yet profound writing style that got so many people hooked on Normal People, and the same deep insight into the complex relationships between characters. Although, unlike the raw love story of Connell and Marianne, Conversations with Friends delves into the dynamic between four people: college students Frances and Bobby, and married couple Melissa and Nick. They are not quite as likeable and the story is slightly harder to swallow, but for fans of Rooney, it's a must-read.
‘Norwegian Wood’ by Haruki Murakami
Much like Normal People, Norwegian Wood tackles the intensity of first love in an unpatronising way, capturing its complexity and its characters' innermost thoughts through simple yet profound prose. Written in 1987, the novel is told from the first-person perspective of Toru Watanabe, as he looks back at his time as a college student in Tokyo. Murakami also tackles the topic of loss expertly, and the love story will stay with you, and leave you feeling slightly empty, in a good way. It's also said to be Harry Styles's favourite book. The singer told Rolling Stone: "It was the first book, maybe ever, where all I wanted to do all day was read this."
‘One Day’ by David Nicholls
This heartfelt novel tells the story of star-crossed lovers Dexter and Emma and how their relationship changes and develops over the course of 20 years. Each year, Nicholls revisits the two on the same day, and notes the things that have changed in their lives, as well as the things that haven't changed at all. Much like Connell and Marianne, Dexter and Emma leave readers feeling the same frustrations over words left unsaid. And, as with Normal People, the screen adaptation, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, was well received by fans of the book.
‘Ordinary People’ by Diana Evans
While this book has a similar name and shares some themes with Rooney's Normal People, there are plenty of crucial differences. First, it follows the lives of two couples struggling through parenting, careers and grief, offering the familiarity of ordinary people living ordinary lives, dealing with feelings of discontentment in their relationships. Set in London, it will feel like home for lovers of the city, and leave readers feeling slightly uncomfortable with the parallels they can draw with their own lives.
‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah is a coming-of-age story that follows the lives of two young Nigerians as they depart for a new life in west and become separated, forced to spend years apart. The love story does not offer the same intense romance as Normal People, but its exploration of identity and societal issues offers similar themes, and Chimamanda's observations throughout the book hit you with the same force as Rooney's.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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