Sally Rooney Books
Conversations with Friends – 2017
Frances, a young poet, and Bobbi, her ex-girlfriend, navigate complex relationships with an older couple, Nick and Melissa. As Frances begins an affair with Nick, tensions rise, exploring love, infidelity, and self-discovery in Dublin’s literary scene, challenging emotional boundaries and personal identities in their twenties.
Normal People – 2018
Connell and Marianne, from different social worlds, form a profound connection in school that evolves through university. Their on-again, off-again relationship explores love, class, and personal growth, as they navigate intimacy, vulnerability, and the societal pressures shaping their identities in modern Ireland, seeking belonging and understanding.
Beautiful World, Where Are You – 2021
Alice, a novelist, and Eileen, an editor, grapple with love and purpose in their late twenties. Through their friendships and romances with Felix and Simon, they confront existential questions, societal disillusionment, and personal desires, exchanging emails that probe art, politics, and the search for meaning in contemporary life.
Intermezzo – 2024
Brothers Ivan and Peter, grieving their father’s death, navigate fractured relationships and personal crises. Ivan’s affair with an older woman and Peter’s struggles with addiction highlight their emotional turmoil. Through love, loss, and reconciliation, the novel explores family dynamics, human connection, and the search for redemption in modern Ireland.
Faber Series
Mr Salary – 2019
Sukie, a young woman, returns to Dublin and reconnects with Nathan, her older guardian figure. Their complex, quasi-familial bond teeters on romance, exploring power dynamics, desire, and emotional dependency. Set against Dublin’s backdrop, the story delves into longing, identity, and the blurred lines between affection and obligation.
Screenplays
Normal People: The Scripts – 2020
This collection presents the screenplays for the TV adaptation of Normal People, detailing Connell and Marianne’s evolving relationship. It captures their emotional journey through love, class, and personal growth, offering insight into the adaptation process, with dialogue and stage directions reflecting the novel’s intimate, nuanced storytelling.