Sally Rooney’s new book: If you can’t wait for her latest novel, read these titles instead

Three years after her critically acclaimed, coming-of-age novel Normal People was published, Sally Rooney returns with a new book titled Beautiful World, Where Are You, which will be published by Faber & Faber on 7 September 2021. 

The publisher announced the news on Tuesday 12 January, along with details of the book. It focuses on the lives of four young people, Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon, living in Ireland, as they navigate the pressures of work and relationships against the backdrop of political turmoil and fears of their future. 

Beautiful World, Where Are You follows on from Rooney’s hugely popular novels, Conversations with Friends which waspublished in 2017 and 2018’s Normal People. The latter book won multiple awards – notably being named Waterstones Book of the Year 2018, Costa’s Novel of the Year 2018, and then Book of the Year 2019 at the British Book Awards. 

Normal People tells the story of love, uncertainty, displacement, and class; it articulates feelings that will resonate with many of us and it beautifully captures the complexities of modern-day relationships. It’s a powerful and heart-wrenching portrayal of youth, intimacy and communication, as both characters yearn for the comfort of understanding one another during hardship.

With this much anticipation on its shoulders, when the BBC/Hulu TV adaptation was announced, fans of the novel were nervous about whether it would live up to their expectations. But the 12-part series, which launched in April 2020, was lauded as a triumph, from the direction and acting to the script and carefully compiled soundtrack.

As one of the most talked about TV series during the first national lockdown, it gripped the nation with its nuanced depiction of first love, with fans even going mad for that chain necklace worn by leading actor Paul Mescal. A mini-series based on Conversations with Friends is also in the worlds from the same production team. 

If like us, you can’t wait to get your hands on Rooney’s latest novel, we've found the books that will fill the void until September and promise to provide a little escapism. Happy reading!

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