11 Books to Fill the Sally Rooney Shaped Hole in Your Life
If you’re anything like me, you may have found yourself picking up a new book in the last twelve months and hoping it will elicit even a glimmer of the things you felt when you discovered the wonder that is Sally Rooney’s writing.
Rooney’s first two novels have become instant touchstones for readers across the globe; Normal People encapsulates the unvoiced thoughts of any adrift twenty-something so perfectly it’s hard not to defer to it when discussing other books – or even just life. It was such a hit that just a year after its 2018 release, a television adaptation was announced which is now available on Stan.
I was so invested in this book that I was magically able to overcome my lifelong-motion sickness and read this in the backseat of a van as we flew along the country highway. Rooney’s first novel Conversations with Friends, is just as good as its successor and explores similar themes and feelings while giving way to different relationship dynamics. Her short story Mr Salary, while frustratingly brief, is on form too.
Articulating why Rooney’s writing speaks to me so deeply feels strange because it’s really more of a visceral response. That drop you feel in your stomach at the familiarity of young, awkward love and the insecurity of unexpressed emotions. And this isn’t just for millennials – my aunts are all just as smitten as I am.
We’ve already discussed Sally Rooney’s Midas touch, but what should you read next if you’re looking to poke that bittersweet, apathetic, sexually frustrated beast? Here’s a list of 11 books that you’re sure to enjoy – melancholic angst ahead.
1. Exciting Times by Naoise Dola
Ava is an Irish twenty-something teaching English in Hong Kong. She moves in with her friend and kind-of lover, Julian. He pays for everything and they sleep together but the love just isn’t there. Then Ava meets Edith and actually starts to feel something that she didn’t know was possible to feel. Exciting times are ahead whether she wants them or not. This book is told through Ava’s eyes as she grapples with her feelings and lack of life direction, all the while reflecting on the political changes taking place back in her home country. I frequently found myself laughing out loud at Ava’s acerbic observations and relating to her feelings of unrequited love. A debut novel from a young Irish author, it’s easy to see the Rooney comparisons, but Dolan is a great writer in her own right.
2. Promising Young Women by Caroline O’Donoghue
This is a novel that you will want to devour in one sitting. It’s Conversations with Friends in a corporate setting, but our protagonist, Jane has to deal with some slightly unearthly dilemmas. After striking up a steamy but unwise affair with Clem, an older male at her work, Jane finds herself neck-deep in a relationship that she’s not even quite sure that she wants. As Clem thrives, Jane declines, and she takes every aspect of her life down with her. This novel delved into some deeper and more unusual themes than I initially thought it would, asking whether we can ever truly give consent in some relationships, and touching on the idea of energy vampires.
3. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Sticking with the corporate theme, this novel gives us Queenie, a young woman who has just been dumped by her long-term boyfriend. When we first meet her, Queenie has her legs up in stirrups and is about to receive some shocking news. In the wake of this, she struggles to maintain her job, friendships, and sanity as she has a string of meaningless sexual relationships that never end well. Set in London, Queenie also offers perspective on what the dating world can be like for a young black woman; every interaction is laced with micro-aggressions or overt racism that wears away at her, body and soul. I wanted every terrible male in this book to get their just desserts, and it was a delight to fall in love with Queenie.
4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant fills her free time with a very particular schedule: ample amounts of alcohol, a weekly phone call with her abusive mother, and definitely not thinking about the past. Friendless and excluded by her colleagues, Eleanor is determined not to give in to her loneliness: enter Raymond from IT. They strike up a friendship that might just be the lifeboat that Eleanor needs. Don’t be put off by the super cute title. Seriously. This is a gorgeous novel worth its hype. The protagonist is quirky as anything but really grows on you, and her unwittingly hilarious and cringe-worthy social interactions were so fun to read.
5. A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu
A spitfire debut novel by Australian writer, Jessie Tu. A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing introduces violin prodigy Jena as she thinks back on the teenage moment her career went wrong and the resulting years that followed. Used to feeling more like an instrument than a girl, Jena uses sex to try and regain control over her life. It doesn’t matter whom it’s with or how they treat her. Deliciously ruthless and self-destructive to the point of cringe, I quite wanted this character to get a therapist and possibly an X-Ray. I loved peeking into the intensely competitive world of violin playing (author Jessie Tu was a violinist for fourteen years); it’s a predominantly white industry, and Taiwanese-born Tu highlights what it’s like for an Asian woman in the classical music industry in Australia.
6. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
This well-loved Japanese author has crafted a delicate and devastating story about love and mental illness in the sixties. One of the few entrants on this list with a male protagonist, we go on a journey with Toru as he starts college, makes and loses friends, has meaningless sex, and hopes to have beautiful sex. Toru is in love with long-time friend Naoko, but they are both haunted by the suicide of their best friend years earlier. As Naoko grapples with her own depression, Toru feels adrift and useless. The arrival of a new girl in his life might just turn things around. Read this with caution if you’re feeling down: the final act had me silently weeping the entire way through. Beautifully told and set against the backdrop of Tokyo and its surrounds.
7. Loner by Georgina Young
This recently released book from Australian writer Georgina Young is also the winner of the Text Prize. Loner follows the story of Lona, wordplay definitely intended. Lona is socially anxious, preferring to read a book in bed than go to a party – even if the party is in her own living room. She drops out of her Fine Arts degree because…well, she doesn’t really know why. Now she’s about to get her first boyfriend, and she doesn’t really know what to do with him either. She’s not really sure what she wants to do about anything, in fact. But she’s determined to figure that out. Maybe. With chapters often less than a page long, Loner is an easy read, and fellow Melbourne-dwellers will enjoy recognising many of the locations frequented by the characters. This book feels timely and captures 20-year-old uncertainty well, and the subplot with her grandpa was a favourite addition.
8. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Aside from being an author, Dolly Alderton is also a journalist and podcast host, and her effervescent personality permeates through everything she touches. Everything I Know About Love is a memoir that takes us on a joy ride through Dolly’s twenties. But like all joy rides, the high doesn’t last and the consequences begin to pile up. While this book doesn’t carry the same melancholic tone as a Rooney novel, it’s deeply relatable and entertaining. Few books can have you laughing out loud and crying in one sitting, but Dolly can. I couldn’t wait to check out her podcast, Love Stories, where she chats to celebs about the defining love stories of their lives, and her highly anticipated first novel, Ghosts, is out this October.
9. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
You’ve probably seen the film; don’t let that stop you from enjoying the book. This is the perfect novel to help you escape from the tedium of lockdown: rich with delicious descriptions of its Italian setting, Elio takes us on a steamy, sensuous journey. When American student Oliver moves into their home for the summer to work on his book, Elio begins to dissect every moment they share – truly, he is a cerebral guy. What follows is a life-altering love that travels across continents and decades by the book’s conclusion. This may not be the book for everyone; the age gap between Elio and Oliver was a controversial topic when the film was released. That said, I found the mutuality and reciprocity of their feelings much more evident on the page.
10. Loveless by Alice Oseman
Georgia and her two best (and only) friends are about to start college together, but Georgia is yet to have her first kiss. She wants to want her first kiss, but she just isn’t feeling it. She prefers rom coms and fan fictions so she can experience love from the side lines. Entering the college world, Georgia finds herself drawn to the Queer Society and realises that she may not be so weird after all. Loveless falls slightly more into the young adult genre but is still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Oseman allows her characters to explore some lesser-examined aspects of sexuality and the roles that peer and societal pressure play when trying to define oneself in a coming of age story.
11.Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
If you enjoy descriptions of tasty food and charming trips to the Japanese countryside, this is the book for you. Tsukiko spends a lot of time drinking sake alone at her local bar – until one night when she runs into her old high school teacher and they begin a tentative friendship. What follows is a series of adorable adventures: mushroom picking in the mountains and vacations that go lopsided. Kawakami has written a short and sweet story that examines loneliness at different stages of life; though decades separate Tsukiko and Sensei, they are joined by their need for companionship and understanding. Don’t expect too much to happen in this book but enjoy the simplicity of this quirky unique ride.