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

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

5.0

I’m continually amazed at how little Sally Rooney has to say in order to deeply understand her characters. Rooney’s writing has been criticized for being about “nothing” with conversations that feel awkward and empty. But that’s exactly what makes me fall in love with her stories—they are complex in their simplicity, and isn’t that life itself?

This book is about relationships, as her other books are, but what struck me the most with this novel is the dialogue on relationship to self. As Alice and Eileen navigate through their opinions on climate change, religion, sex, and friendship, through their romantic relationships and perceived successes and failures, what they are really analyzing is the world and their place in it.

Messy, complicated, frustrating… this novel is a stunning portrait of the search for self in this beautiful world. Five stars, as my love for Rooney’s writing holds strong.
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