Sally Rooney is an award-winning Irish author, well known for her novels such as Normal People. In 2022, Times 100 included her in their list of the world’s most influential people, and she is one of the most followed authors on Goodreads.
Rooney’s stories often revolve around two people, who are objectively perfect for each other, but something has stopped them from being together. Despite the obstacles, they begin a relationship. It becomes an addicting story, you get to know them, and then want the best for them. Inevitably, the third act breakup hits, but then you realise this is how it will end.
The frustration around the sad endings of her books show that people cared about these imaginary soulmates. The readers were invested, and they likely thought they were promised a love story. So why, if the endings bother people so much, do we buy her works, recommend them, and let Rooney have so much influence?
Perhaps, it is because her books have the power to be relatable. To have known someone, who could have been the one, but was not.
Maybe it is cathartic, to know the book will be sad and read it anyway. Appealing in the way that some purposefully listen to sad music.
Potentially, it could be that books with sad endings are more likely to stick with you. Rooney’s endings are more memorable, than the dozens of happily ever afters.
Ultimately, her books are authentic. Her books feature ordinary people, that you could walk past on the streets of Dublin.
I asked two Stirling students why they choose to keep reading her works.
Sophie Martin said, “It is part of what makes her writing realistic to me, if I am in the mindset for something grounded in our world, I usually turn to her. The characters themselves are easier to connect with, it is kind of a peaceful thing. It is the knowledge that I am safe with her as an author, even though terrible things might happen to the characters.”
Hannah Morrison said, “I think they are a more realistic portrayal of life and relationships than a lot of other books depict. Most books have a happy ending and that often does not reflect what real life is like.”
The reason is this – in a world of literature that can feel wildly fantastical or unrelatable, Rooney provides an alternative.
Featured Image Credit: Irish Times
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