A review by jmflint27
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I want to preface this review by saying that I did not enjoy or like this book, but I still think there’s something beautiful about it.

Not enjoying or liking it is subjective. In many ways I found this really difficult to read - I should’ve known better as I struggle with one of the main themes in the book (infidelity). But that being said - I wasn’t prepared for how unlikeable the  characters would be beyond this theme. I constantly wanted to slap them upside the head or shake them silly, and the whiny internal monologue of the narrator is painful at times.

But all of that being said - there’s something beautiful about it. Even though I really didn’t like the way the dialogue was written (no quotation marks were used), the wit and thought behind them was clearly there. Rooney clearly knows how to write and describes things in a way that really shake you to your core and almost make you feel intense amounts of empathy for even the most selfish of people. 

Generally I had really mixed feelings and am proud of myself for finishing the book - there were times I didn’t want to.  
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