Beautiful World, Where Are You
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Reviewed by Mimi
📘📒📘📒📘
Thank you so much to @faberbooks for sending us a copy of the new Sally Rooney novel. I was nervous picking this one up.💛
I loved Normal People and I got worried that there might be too much pressure on Rooney's first novel to be published since the rest of the world discovered they also loved Normal People. I was definitely not disappointed.
In her eloquent and emotional style, Rooney has once again examined human relationships in a way no one else can. Alice, a successful novelist recovering from a breakdown has run away to a big house where she has an (apparently) unsuccessful date with Felix. Her two closest friends Eileen and Simon have this strange unspoken love for one another that stemmed from when they were neighbours. Indispersed with emails that Eileen and Alice send to one other, this novel follows the trio as they recover from heartbreak, deal with loneliness, communicate their feelings and learn so much about themselves in the process. I loved them all even though they have infuriating moments.
Alice is confident but doesn't find much meaning in her life as a writer. Felix is grounding, he isn't in awe of her or scared by her success. It's painful to begin with, but trust really develops. Eileen first met Simon when she was 15 and he was 20. Nothing happened on a romantic level at that stage but they certainly have a history and it feels like we experience the climax of the will they/ won't they. Simon is almost too lovely for Eileen's self-destructive tendencies but I found myself really willing them to get it on!
If it’s not sacrilege to say it, #BWWAY is better than Normal People. We are so lucky to have a writer as good as Rooney who only seems to be getting better.
I'm thrilled for you to read this and whilst our book club at the pop-up is sold out, we may well revisit this one!
