By Lucy Levinson
Book Recommendation: Beautiful World Where Are You
Sally Rooney has been dubbed by many the “First Great Millennial Novelist,” and perhaps more cringingly, the “Salinger of the Snapchat Generation.” Born in Castlebar, Ireland, Rooney now resides in Dublin, where she first moved in 2009 to study literature at Trinity College Dublin.
Her most recent release, Beautiful World, Where Are You (September 2021), is the third novel Rooney has produced in just five years.
Rooney is known for her character-driven narratives and, like her first two novels, Conversations with Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018), Beautiful World, Where Are You revolves around a handful of younger Irish people and the relationship dynamics between them.
It would not be a rarity to stumble upon philosophical nuggets in Rooney’s first two books. However, in this novel, Rooney delves into this particular writing sector with arduous intention. Rooney achieves this via email correspondence between two longtime friends, Eileen and Alice. These emails are spread throughout the novel and mirror an oddity in conversations characterized by the last decade, wherein the topic of discussion may shift from climate change to frivolous relationship news, for example, without notice.
Furthermore, Rooney is intricate in her examination of the power dynamics between the four main characters: in this novel specifically, she explores the way in which influences such as religion, mental illness, fame, and wealth may manifest in the oldest of friendships and new encounters alike.
It is my (humble) opinion that Sally Rooney never fails to find and then convey a new peculiar aspect to this contemporary human experience. I find it satisfying, comforting, and heart-breaking, all at once.
Beautiful World, Where Are You is an ode to hope. Sally Rooney presents that even in the darkest of times when the point is difficult to decipher, there is light to be found in each other: therein lies our purpose, therein lies the beautiful world.
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