A review by jaclyncrupi
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

5.0

Rooney’s writing is always character explored through relationships and sex. This book hinges on those three things, the friendship between Alice and Eileen being the most important of them all. I loved novelist Alice fiercely. Her commentary on writers, publishing and the whole damn mess was delicious. It’s hard not to equate her with Rooney despite my best intentions to never conflate art and artist. It’s worth talking about form and structure, too. Rooney’s use of the epistolary form works particularly well. The friendship between Alice and Eileen is so interesting and their long emails back and forth standing in for conversations is clever and effective. These emails are broken up by real world contained moments between each woman and usually Felix or Simon respectively. The insights the emails the women write each other offer about these moments opens them up for the reader. Form and structure work in perfect harmony here and there’s a lovely contrast between the intimacy of the emails and the coolness of the scenes. When she does finally get them in a room together the feeling is electric. I believe in Rooney’s vision of a beautiful world. This book is wonderful and my personal favourite Rooney yet.