Throughout my work, rather than writing about characters, I write about dynamics. I always find it funny when people say ‘That’s an interesting character,’ or ‘That’s a good character,’ because I don’t think a character has any intrinsic value. Every person is intrinsically interesting, but in a novel, what gives a character power is their relation to others…
Sally Rooney
Leading the rising wave of Irish female writers, Sally Rooney's books are renowned for their distinctive writing style, which has resonated with readers worldwide. From award-winning fiction to the screen adaptations of her work, here's everything you need to know about one of Ireland's most important contemporary authors: Sally Rooney.
Sally Rooney and Her Literary Rise
Few writers have captured young adulthood like Sally Rooney. The author, born in County Mayo in 1991, debuted with Conversations with Friends in 2017, followed closely by the bestselling Normal People book. These novels have now become cornerstones of modern Irish fiction, propelling her into the global spotlight and earning her comparisons to Irish literary icons like James Joyce and Edna O'Brien.
Jane Austen
Karl Ove Knausgård
Raymond Carver
James Joyce
At a time when literary fiction was struggling for mainstream attention, she bucked the trend. Her work is intimate, cerebral, and honest, attracting a whole new generation of readers. She's managed to carve out a space for emotionally rich storytelling in an era saturated with irony.
Her influence has extended into television, academic discourse, and cultural criticism. Her books are dissected for what they say about love, class, communication, and power in the modern world.
The Minimalist Brilliance of Rooney’s Writing Style
Described as spare, restrained, and emotionally exacting, Rooney's style can be polarising. Minimalist prose, leaving a lot unsaid, tends to mirror the disconnection and miscommunication of the characters.
She tends towards free indirect discourse, a technique where the narration slips seemlessly into the character's internal thoughts. Readers are given unfiltered access to insecurities, observations, and contradictions. This has been used to significant effect in portraying some of the more modern idiosyncrasies of intimacy, such as awkward text messages, unspoken power shifts, and late-night conversations.
Rooney's subjects are rarely romanticised. Instead, she chooses to present emotionally complex characters in mundane, familiar settings, such as college dorms, kitchen tables, and messy bedrooms. She doesn't lean into dramatic flourishes, which gives her writing a raw and observational quality.
Characters drift, make mistakes, and often hurt each other, with an everyday ordinariness that makes her writing real. Like the poetry of Oscar Wilde, which examined human behaviour through wit, Rooney explores people in a messy modern setting with calm and quiet precision.
have rated Sally Rooney’s books on Goodreads
Normal People
Sally Rooney's second novel, Normal People, was the work that cemented her status as one of the most significant literary voices of a generation. It was published in 2018 by Faber and follows Marianne and Connell, two teenagers from a small Irish town. Through school, university, and early adulthood, they navigate the blurred lines between friendship and love.
and 150,000 reviews on Goodreads.
Marianne is wealthy but emotionally isolated, while Connell is working-class and socially adept. Shifting power dynamics, lapses in communication, and the intense emotional bond are at the heart of the story. Rooney highlights how class, education, and trauma shape their connection throughout the years.
Normal People was a literary success and cultural phenomenon. It won the Costa Novel of the Year Award, was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and became a BBC/Hulu series in 2020. Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones played the lead roles. The series earned Emmy nominations and BAFTA wins, attracting a new audience for Rooney's writing.
Watch the trailer for Normal People here.
Conversations with Friends
Conversations with Friends was Sally Rooney's debut novel. It introduced the world to her blend of introspection, emotional nuance, and intellectual rigour. It was published in 2017 and follows Frances, a 21-year-old student and aspiring poet in Dublin, as she navigates a complex emotional entanglement involving her ex-girlfriend, Bobbi, an older married actor, Nick, and his wife, Melissa.
Conversations with Friends explores how power manifests in relationships through class, age, and emotional withholding. Frances is intelligent and observant but passive in her relationships. Capturing the messiness of modern communication, this novel is filled with conversations, both spoken and internal. It explores both what people say and what remains unsaid.
The book was adapted into a 12-part TV series in 2022. Reception was mixed, but you can watch the trailer here.
Beautiful World, Where Are You
Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney's third novel, which marks a shift in both tone and ambition. The book, released in 2021, follows Alice, a young novelist who retreats to a coastal town after a nervous breakdown.
She sends emails to her best friend Eileen, an editorial assistant living in Dublin, while also navigating a new relationship with Felix, a local warehouse worker. Meanwhile, Eileen reconnects with Simon, a religious political advisor.
The story revolves around two women in their thirties as they navigate their relationships, ambitions, and longings. Still, beneath the surface, it's arguably Rooney's most self-aware and meta-literary work to date.
Through lengthy, philosophical email exchanges, characters question the existence of art as the world disintegrates. The book still retains Rooney's signature focus on interpersonal relationships, but it also looks more deeply at work, class, meaning, and desire than her previous entries. The book is intellectually rigorous and emotionally rich, but that's likely what made it more divisive among readers.
Start with Normal People as it's emotional, accessible, and widely acclaimed. Afterwards, move on to Conversations with Friends. From there, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and finish with Intermezzo, her most intimate novel.
Intermezzo
Intermezzo was released in 2024 and is her most emotionally charged and daring novel so far. It's set in Dublin and follows two brothers who struggle with the sudden loss of their father.
There's no central romance in the plot of this one, but like the WB Yeats poem "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death", Rooney explores grief and masculinity as well as sibling dynamics. The structure is looser, with fewer chronological signposts and more interior monologue.
Described as "strangely beautiful", with some dubbing it Rooney's boldest work yet, she's moved away and beyond romantic entanglement without losing the intimacy and emotional accuracy that made her other novels so popular.
Awards, Recognition, and Literary Impact
Rooney's writing has gained popularity among critics and readers. She's frequently shortlisted alongside the best contemporary authors in the world.
Conversations with Friends earned Rooney the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award in 2017. Normal People won the 2019 Costa Novel Award, the Irish Book Award for Novel of the Year, and the Encore Award. It was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
- Costa Novel of the Year (Normal People, 2019)
- Irish Book Awards – Novel of the Year (2018)
- Encore Award (2020)
- Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (2017)
- Booker Prize Longlist (Normal People, 2018)
- Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist (Normal People, 2019)
Beautiful World, Where Are You debuted to critical and commercial success. It was a top seller in Ireland, the UK, and the US. However, the shift meant it was more polarising than her previous books. Intermezzo is praised for being her most mature work; it was shortlisted for awards, but didn't secure a win.
Rooney's success makes it clear that there's a hunger for fiction that's honest, especially in its exploration of themes such as love, identity, and the quiet, understated complexities of modern life. With Sally Rooney's books, there's a human truth that pushes the boundaries of philosophical introspection in contemporary literature.
| Title | Year Released | Publisher | Average Rating (Goodreads) | Themes / Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversations with Friends | 2017 | Faber & Faber | 3.74 | Identity, power, sexuality, friendship, emotional detachment |
| Normal People | 2018 | Faber & Faber | 3.81 | Love, class, communication, trauma, identity, youth |
| Beautiful World, Where Are You | 2021 | Faber & Faber | 3.75 | Friendship, fame, creative burnout, political despair, romantic uncertainty |
| Intermezzo | 2024 | Faber & Faber | 3.8 | Grief, masculinity, brotherhood, memory, identity, purpose |
If you'd like to learn more about her or Irish literature, such as the works of Seamus Heaney, search for a literature tutor on the Superprof website. With most offering the first session for free, you can try a few before choosing the one that's right for your goals, budget, and preferred learning style.
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