With the release of her latest novel, “Intermezzo”, earlier this year, Sally Rooney has once again sparked discussions about her distinctive writing style, realistic narratives, and problematic characters. Her writing faces ongoing critiques since the publication of her earlier works, “Conversations with Friends” (2017) and “Normal People” (2018), which were huge hits on social media for years following their release.
Rooney’s novels depict the lives and relationships of young adults in a dry, straightforward, and dialogue-heavy style. That style is one of the features that has attracted readers to her work, but it also puts others off. Some readers bristle at her bleak descriptions of daily life and her lack of quotation marks. “Intermezzo,” which details the story of two brothers exploring their lives and relationships after the loss of their father, features conversations such as this:
For a moment he says nothing. You mean like, in chess just now? He asks.
Yes I’m sorry. That’s what I meant.
Dialogue and narration intertwine, with no indication of a conversation or speaker sometimes.
Rooney’s own avid readers and audience question this choice. “I hate it,” said Aurelia Felices, a friend of mine who introduced me to Sally Rooney a couple of years back. “I just get so confused. It’s something very characteristic of her.” Many readers have continued to shy away from Rooney’s novels because of this.
Here’s why you shouldn’t.
Even though it is disliked by many, Rooney’s style reflects the most important theme in her novels: the exploration of flawed human relationships through communication and dialogue. Her lack of quotation marks bridges the gap between narration and dialogue, almost making them one. “It’s kind of muddling the entire picture of how these people communicate; she puts everything in front of you and that’s it,” said Nicolas Arce, a family friend who is a harsh critic of Rooney’s work.
Rooney narrates the story through dialogue and leaves the rest up for interpretation. “Honestly, I think it’s a lot of good writing hints at something and doesn’t necessarily over narrate,” explained Dr. Julia Clarke, who teaches English at RE’s Upper School. “I think her lack of overt narration is what makes it strong. She’s really good at dialogue. She does a good job of mirroring the complexities of human relationships.”
The authenticity in Rooney’s writing connects with a lot of readers, as it makes each novel very down-to-earth and realistic. Dr Clarke attests to this: “I felt like a lot of my thoughts that I’ve had about life and friendships and relationships were being articulated by somebody else, and I had never really seen that. It mirrors real life,” she said.
Rooney also weaves in a lot of important social commentary in her novels. “It’s realistic fiction,” said Arce. “That’s actually one of my favorite parts of her books.”
Rooney’s themes are not the only relevant and relatable aspects of her novels. How we get to know her characters throughout her novels rings very true to the confusion of daily human experience. “We don’t have the answer to everything, and we don’t have explanations for why people behave the way that they do,” said Dr. Clarke. “It’s not a psychological novel; it’s a human novel where you have to figure out the psychology on your own.” The reader finds themselves in a position where they get to know these characters from the outside: not through their own personal thoughts and opinions, but through their interactions and dialogue with others, similar to how we get to know people in real life.
Rooney’s characters themselves are perfect candidates for this psychological analysis. “I think they’re really dynamic characters, and they have problems like people do in real life,” said Bea Lindemann ’25. “She talks a lot about mental health, physical health, the conditions of being a woman, the maybe not so glamorous parts of life.”
Rooney’s attention to these imperfect, often underexplored aspects of the average human experience is what sets her apart from many contemporary writers. By focusing on the inner turmoil that comes with class differences, social justice issues, and romantic and familial relationships, she exposes societal pressures we don’t normally see in writing in a vulnerable way. “[Rooney’s characters] have the ugly things people don’t want to relate to, but they do,” explained Felices.
Rooney’s writing also deals with complex feelings through not-so-complex wording, achieving a conversational feel. “She doesn’t use a lot of flowery prose. I think that’s a very specific choice because it allows her to focus on the actual content rather than just the writing,” Lindemann said.
Through her ongoing efforts to achieve realism and relatability, Rooney has gathered a large audience. Her books weave in commentary that is relevant regardless of gender or age, from class dynamics in “Normal People” to grief in family relationships in “Intermezzo.” “You can be an older person and appreciate this. You can be in high school and appreciate this. You can be whatever you can be and appreciate this,” said Dr. Clarke.
In today’s world, we find ourselves communicating constantly in many ways. Rooney keeps up with that. Whether through emails, texts, uncomfortable body language, or poorly handled, vague conversations, she manages to express it all very realistically. “At the end of the day, it also shows the reality of different characters who don’t know how to communicate,” said Aurelia Felices. “That’s the whole point.”
After all, we are just normal people, having conversations with friends. Sally Rooney gives us just that, tightly packed in 300ish pages and a pretty cover.
