Why does Sally Rooney have so much success?

Born in Ireland in 1991, Sally Rooney has been described as "the first great millennial writer," "the Salinger of the Snapchat generation," and "the Jane Austen of precarious employment." At the age of 26, she had already published her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, which gained widespread success and secured her a permanent spot on every bookstore shelf. As the release of her fourth work, Intermezzo, approaches in Italy, let’s take a closer look at the Rooney Phenomenon and what has made her so successful.

What is behind Sally Rooney's success?

Sally Rooney seems to be the right writer at the right time, able to portray characters and dynamics that resonate with our era. She is the voice of a generation—those currently in their 20s and 30s—who stand on the threshold of adulthood, wondering whether it's even worth crossing. With simple writing, sparse metaphors, and dialogue that's free from quotation marks, she focuses on ordinary lives, highlighting her skill at delving into human relationships. The relationships between characters are the focal point of her narrative, as it is only through interactions that the ideological contradictions and weaknesses of the protagonists are revealed. Posing questions like "Who am I?" and "What is my purpose in this world?", her characters seem to be stuck and searching for answers. They struggle to communicate with each other, and when they do, they often use emails. They try to build a stable identity, only to find it limiting. They become paralyzed by the possibility of change, creating stories of apparent inertia. Rooney's success seems to lie in her ability to describe these moments of shared uncertainty, allowing readers to identify with the dynamics she depicts.

Sally Rooney's Books: From Conversations with Friends to Intermezzo

Released in 2017 and written in just three months, Conversations with Friends was an instant literary sensation. On the surface, it resembles a romantic comedy, with a protagonist who might remind readers of the main character in Lena Dunham's series Girls. Frances, in fact, is navigating the search for an identity independent from her parents while dealing with a shaky love life. The story allows us to follow her and see how multifaceted and complex the life of a millennial woman can be.

Following this, Sally Rooney wrote and published another bestseller, Normal People. Compared to her debut, which centered around a four-way romantic dynamic, this book focuses on two protagonists. While there is a strong connection between them, there is also something holding them back from officially becoming a couple. The book was also adapted into a TV series in 2020.