Norma

Norma by Sofi Oksanen revolves around the life of the protagonist with the same name, who has magical hair which grows at an abnormal rate and are also sensitive to the moods of people around her. After the death of her mother, she tries to resume her normal life but she meets Max Lambert and everything changes.🔸The blurb of this book gave me an impression that this book will be an incredible thriller about the beauty industry and it will show its ugly side.🔸But, the blurb is very misleading. The narrative is very dull and I couldn't connect with it. It became a little interesting after a while but that was only for a few pages.🔸The plot had so much potential and I really liked the entire concept of supernatural hair but it was dealt in a very unstimulating way. The narrative was painfully descriptive, there wasn't much action going on and even the characterisation was flawed.🔸The theme of 'ugly side of the beauty industry' is also dealt on a shallow level in this book. I really didn't like this book at all and it is just a waste of time.🔸My rating: 2/5

Norma was an interesting encounter that occurred during my ongoing efforts to read more translated titles. I cannot say exactly what expectations I had set upon picking it up nor am I certain that they were met. My experience was a complicated one that I am still attempting to sort out.Norma has a unique attribute. Her hair. It grows at a rapid rate and reacts not only to her own mood, but the mood of those around her. When Norma’s mother suddenly commits suicide, it is this very ability alerts her to the possibility that there is more behind her mother’s death than she has been told. What ensues is a journey to discover the truth and the revelation that perhaps her mother knew more of their shared secret (Norma’s incredible hair) than she told even Norma.This is a somewhat typical mystery that is heightened by an added dose of magical realism supplied to the reader through Norma’s supernatural hair. Her hair is what defines her, setting her apart from other protagonist. I found this to be a mix of strength and weakness in terms of character development. While this unique feature provides an interesting variant, there was little else here that really made Norma jump off of the page. She was relatable in her grief and isolation, but perhaps not profound. I was comfortable with her, but not astounded. Supporting characters really failed to grow into anything of true interest for myself. They simply co-existed with the story.The plot does boast some relevant topics that touch on human trafficking and the selling of black market babies that are worth note. However, it all unfolds at a somewhat surreal pace that is hard to describe as rewarding or heavy hitting. Narration is broken down into easily digested chunks that offer a fast read, but also seems to strip away from what I felt could have been a more impactful experience, leaving the reader to question what is really happening at times. The result is awkward and abrupt. I felt engaged but struggled to maintain the connection at times. Perhaps I would have appreciated this more if the author had chosen to place more emphasis on the topics contained within and explored them further. The pacing was ill-timed, dragging on during uneventful moments and skimming through significant revelations. I cannot say how much of my time with Norma was altered due to this being a translated work, but I have found nothing to imply it has not been translated well.I think many fans of magical realism with an appreciation for the odd and eccentric might enjoy Norma. For myself, it was a mixed bag of emotions that never seemed to fully blossom into something memorable.

Oksanen has traditionally written about Soviet-Estonian life with the eloquence of Dostoevsky or Tolstoy while (properly) demonizing the Soviets. Norma is a unique and interesting change for her that still remains wistful and amazing in her detail. There's no reason to not buy this book if you have enjoyed the rest of her works like I have. It's unique, for sure, but worth your time if you enjoy this author like I do.Honestly? Finland's greatest author since Linna, hands down. A.H. Tammsaare would be proud, too.

Had to read this book as I thoroughly enjoyed Purge. Related to the challenges Norma faced being different while unraveling the cause of her mother's death and uncovering family secrets.

The product was a book which I enjoyed reading

“Norma” is a well written novel that, while billed as a mystery, is mostly a consideration of women’s rights and position in the world and people’s willingness to do whatever it takes to enhance their own desirability and bank accounts. Norma’s mother, to whom Norma was very close, has recently died, and as Norma looks into the circumstances of her death, she comes to realize that in many ways, her mother was not the woman she thought she knew and may even have exploited Norma for her own ends. Most of her family are involved in a global market to acquire a beauty product that Norma is uniquely qualified to provide, her astoundingly fast-growing hair. There is also a strong element of magical realism in that Norma’s hair responds to emotions, often warning Norma of others’ ill intentions or poor fates by becoming especially springy and unmanageable. Early on, Norma finds that this is an inherited characteristic but one her family has hidden away and denied. Meanwhile, the market for hair extensions is booming, and with women willing to pay almost anything to acquire other women’s hair, the black market is thriving, with Norma’s family and their friends right in the thick of it.This is very intriguing book but, for me, not a very compelling one. The writing is good and the concept unique, but I found myself often laying it down for long periods of time. I never lost interest enough to forego finishing it, but it took me awhile to do so. The plots seemed to go in too many directions at once (oddly like Norma’s hair!) and the characters seemed contrived just to tell the story, not quite fully realized. In the end, it left me feeling the way assigned readings in school sometimes did: I could see why it was important, and I could understand what the author was trying to do, but it was not a book I’d choose for myself.