'It Was Like I'd Never Done It Before': How Sally Rooney Wrote ...

'It Was Like I'd Never Done It Before': How Sally Rooney Wrote Again ... Her first two books, “Conversations With Friends” and “Normal People,” ... Books|‘ItWasLikeI’dNeverDoneItBefore’:HowSallyRooneyWroteAgainhttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/28/books/sally-rooney-beautiful-world-where-are-you.htmlBestBooksof202110BestBooks100 NotableBooksHolidayReadingBookCoversPoetryCollections“Iwanttoliveinaculturewherepeoplearemakingart,” SallyRooneysaid,“evenaseverythingelsefallsapart.”Credit...ElliusGraceforTheNewYorkTimesSupportedbyContinuereadingthemainstoryReadinappByLaurenChristensenPublishedAug.28,2021UpdatedOct.12,2021“EverydayIwonderwhymylifehasturnedoutthisway,”amillionairenovelistnamedAlicewritestoherfriendEileenin“BeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou,”outfromFarrar,Straus&GirouxonSept.7.“Ineveradvertisedmyselfasapsychologicallyrobustperson,capableofwithstandingextensivepublicinquiriesintomypersonalityandupbringing.”Neitherdidthenovel’sauthor,SallyRooney.“Thissoundsterrible,butI’mtryingnottohaveameltdownaboutdoingmorepublicity,”shesaidduringavideointerviewinJulyfromahotelroominDublin.She’dtakenthetraininthatmorningfromCastlebar,atownontheothersideofIrelandwheresheliveswithherhusband,JohnPrasifka.“Ilikemycontrolledlife,”shesaid.“Iliveinthecountryside,andIliketobekindofsecluded,andtohavemyworkasthemainthing.”Unfortunatelyforher,thatlevelofisolationisnolongerpossible.Sincethereleaseofher2017debut,“ConversationsWithFriends,”andherBookerPrize-longlisted“NormalPeople”in2018,Rooney,30,hasbecomethekindofbest-selling,criticallypraisedauthorwhosepopularitysomehoweclipsesthebooksthemselves,hernameaneasyshorthandforacertainculturalsensibility,eventothosewhohaven’treadawordshe’swritten.Shehasbeencalled,forexample,thefirstgreatmillennialnovelist,and“SalingerfortheSnapchatgeneration.”ShedrewsuchalargeaudiencetoaBrooklynreadingin2019thatitwasrelocatedfromabookstoretoanearbychurch.Earlierthismonth,TheWallStreetJournalreportedthatadvancecopiesof“BeautifulWorld”weresellingoneBayfor$200.Ann+1essaylamentedthestateofbookcriticismtoday:“Ourreaderdoesn’tunderstandwhyareviewofRolandLuxner’s‘ThePassenger’sBrother’spendssomuchtimeonnovelsbySallyRooney.”“BeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou”focusesonthefriendshipbetweenAliceandEileen,aneditorialassistantataliterarymagazine,astheyentertheir30sanddevelopromanticrelationships:AlicewithawarehouseworkernamedFelix,andEileenwithherchildhoodfriendSimon,apoliticaladviser.Image“BeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou,”Rooney’sthirdnovel,isoutonSept.7.RooneywroteAlice,who’srecentlybeenhospitalizedforapsychiatricbreakafterdoingpublicityforhertwonovels,asawayofworkingthroughalevelofattentiontheauthorherselffounddifficulttoendure.“IhopeIdon’tregretsayingthis,butIthinkthatiswhyIhadtowritethisbook,”Rooneysaid.“Becausemylifehadbecomesodominatedforatimebythesuccessofmyprevioustwo.”Thatsaid,shedidn’tintendtomakethejadedmillionairethestory’scenterofgravity.“Mydadfixedphonelinesforaliving,”shesaid.“I’mnotfromabackgroundwherepeoplelikeFelixaren’tinmyfamily.”Rooneyknowshowmanywriterswouldkilltobeinherposition.Butthat’sherpoint:Everyoneloses,exceptcapitalism.“Theculturearoundauthorshipisnotreallybenefitinganyone,”shesaid,“eventhepeoplewhomitappearstobebenefitingthemost.”TheBestBooksof2021EditorsatTheTimesBookReviewselectedthebestfictionandnonfictiontitlesoftheyear.Herearesomeoftheirpicks:‘HowBeautifulWeWere’:ImboloMbue’ssecondnovel isataleofacasuallysociopathiccorporationandthepeoplewhoselivesitsteamrolls.‘OnJuneteenth’:AnnetteGordon-ReedexplorestheracialandsocialcomplexitiesofTexas,herhomestate,weavinghistoryandmemoir.‘Intimacies’: KatieKitamura’snovel followsaninterpreteratTheHaguewhoisdealingwithloss,anuncertainrelationshipandaninsecureworld.‘RedComet’:HeatherClark’snew biography ofthepoetSylviaPlathisdaring,meticulouslyresearchedandunexpectedlyriveting.Financiallyspeaking,theCelebrityIndustrialComplexisbenefitingRooneyhandsomely.AMarxist,shethinkssheshouldgetpaidtowritebooks,justnot“multiplesmore”thanPrasifkamakesteachinghighschoolmath,ormorethananyoneelsegetspaidtodowhattheydo.Rooneybegan“BeautifulWorld”in2018,beforethereleaseof“NormalPeople.”ShecontinuedwritingitonafellowshipattheCullmanCenterattheNewYorkPublicLibraryinthefallof2019.Itwasthefirsttimeshe’deverlivedabroad.Bythen,herfirstnovelshadbroughtherliteraryfame,butthepeak-pandemic,April2020releaseoftheB.B.C.Three/Huluseries“NormalPeople”tookittoanotherlevel.“Italmostterrifiesme,lookingback,howlittleIknewaboutwhatIwasgettingmyselfinfor,”shesaidofco-writingthetelevisionadaptation,andofthe“overwhelming”discoursethatattendedit.(Recallwithcaution:Connell’ssilverchain.)ImagePaulMescalandDaisyEdgar-JonesintheTVadaptationof“NormalPeople.” “Italmostterrifiesme,lookingback,howlittleIknewaboutwhatIwasgettingmyselfinfor,”Rooneysaidofco-writingit.Credit...EndaBowe/HuluOnceitaired,Rooneywentbackto“BeautifulWorld,”“startedworkingontheearlypartsofthenovelagain,andthought,atthispoint,IammorefamousthanAlice,”shesaid.OnAlice’sfirstdatewithFelix,hehasnoideawhosheis.“Idon’tknowifthatcouldhappentomeanymore,”Rooneysaid.“MylifehasbecomesocrazyIcan’tevenputitinabook.”She’sgratefultoseehercharactersmeansomuchtosomany,butresentshow“yournamebecomesakindoffloatingsignifierthatpeoplecanattachtothingsthathavenothingtodowithyou,”shesaid.“Andyou’relike,wait,no,Iwantthatback!That’smine!Ihavetousethattogetanappointmentwiththedoctorandstuff!”(ShedeclinedtoparticipateintheforthcomingTVadaptationof“ConversationsWithFriends”tofocusonthisnovel.)Thecriticaltheoryshecouldaccessinthelibrary—fromSimoneWeil’s“GravityandGrace,”to“RadicalHope,”byJonathanLear,toIanWatt’s“TheRiseoftheNovel”—helpedRooneytakeastepbackfromhercraft,viewitanew.Writtenjustafew,crucialyearsearlierinher20s,both“ConversationsWithFriends”and“NormalPeople”hadallbutpouredoutofher.“Offthetopofmyheadisabadwayofputtingit,”shesaid,“butIwasn’tthinking,whatisavoice?Whatisaprotagonist?Itwassonatural,allthosequestionsjustansweredthemselvesasIwrote.”BythetimeshegottoNewYork,thepressureshadaccumulated,andsheworriedshe’dbuckleunderthem,neverwriteagain.“Wait,howdoyouwriteoneofthese?”she’daskedherself.“ItwaslikeI’dneverdoneitbefore!”ImageRooneyinMerrionSquareinDublin.Whenshewasworkingonherfirsttwobooks,shesaid,“Iwasn’tthinking,whatisavoice?Whatisaprotagonist?Itwassonatural.”Credit...ElliusGraceforTheNewYorkTimesRooneyspeaksofallhercharactersashaving“walkedintomybrain,”includingthefouratthecenterof“BeautifulWorld.”ShecitedHenryJames’sadmirationforTurgenev,who,Jameswrote,sawhissubjects“asdisponibles,sawthemsubjecttothechances,thecomplicationsofexistence,andsawthemvividly,butthenhadtofindforthemtherightrelations.”Shestruggledwiththoserelations,inNewYorkandwhenshecamebackhome,atthestartofthepandemicinMarch2020,writingversionafterversion,infirstperson,inclosethird,purelyepistolary.Noneofitworked.Itsoundedlikethedifferencebetweenachildorganicallylearningtowalkandanadultre-evaluatingeverymusculoskeletalmovementinvolvedinputtingonefootinfrontoftheother.“ItwaswiththisbookthatIsatdownandthought,waitaminute,whatisanovel?”Rooneysaid.“Iseemtobewritingthem,butwhatarethey?”Tofigureitout,sheread.MitchellS.Jackson,aPulitzerPrizewinnerwhowasinherfellowshipclassatthelibrary,said,“Sallywaspossiblythemostdisciplinedpersonthere.”Whenshegottotheirofficesearlyinthemorning,headded,“shewouldcloseherdoorandclosetheblindsandwork.”Whenshedidemerge,sheimpressedtheotherfellowswithherknowledgeof,asthejournalistHuaHsurecalled,“pre-ChristiansystemsoffaithtocontemporaryMarxistscholarshiptobasicinternetculture.”Theresearchwasherwayofreckoningwithwhyshewritesatall.Theethicsoffiction,forRooney,isverymuchtiedtotheethicsofliving.“Whenyouinhabitatimeofenormoushistoriccrises,andyou’reconcernedaboutit,”shesaid,“howdoyoujustifytoyourselfthatthethingtowhichyou’vechosentodedicateyourlifeismakingupfakepeoplewhohavefakeloveaffairswitheachother?”Attimes,she’sbeenmadetofeelthatherworkisinconsequential.“SalingerfortheSnapchatgeneration”hasthebenefitofalliteration,butnoneofhercharactersspendmuchifanytimeonsocialmedia.TheNewYorkeroncecalledherdialogue“casualintellectualhooliganism,”asifhercharactersweremerelyvolleyingknowledgelikethecollegedebatersofRooney’searlierlife:recklessly,fornootherreasonthanbecausetheycan.Image“ItwaswiththisbookthatIsatdownandthought,waitaminute,whatisanovel?”Rooneysaid.“Iseemtobewritingthem,butwhatarethey?”Credit...ElliusGraceforTheNewYorkTimesPerhapsthemostobviousmanifestationofherinsatiablereading,theemailsin“BeautifulWorld”betweenAliceandEileen—aboutLateBronzeAgecivilization,babies,ÉdouardManetandorganizedreligion—arenocontrivance.OnefeelsthelongemailtobeRooney’spreferred,perhapsmostnatural,modeofexpression.Withherclosestfriends,she’llexchangeideasaboutclimatechange,economicinequalityandwhobrokeupwithwhom,allinthesamebreath.“ItwouldbeartificialtotryandreproducesomekindofcompartmentalizationthatIdon’tfeelinmyreallife,”shesaid.ForRooney,theintimateandtheideologicalgohandinhand.Thatis,youcan’tfullyunderstandFelixandAlice’srelationship,orEileenandSimon’s,withoutunderstandingtheirrelativepositionswithinthesocialorderaroundthem.So,yes,shedoeshaveopinionsonDublin’shousingcrisis,butevenifshedidn’t,“asanovelist,”shesaid,“Isimplyhavetoengagewiththerealityofthehousingmarket,becausethecharactershavetolivesomewhere.Theyhavetogohome,putakeyinthedoorandlive.”Rooneythinksit’sa“cop-out”tosayshewritessimplybecauseshe’snotgoodatanythingelse.(Shedidsaythis,totheIrishIndependent,in2018.)“Youdon’thavetobereallygoodattryingtomakeadifferenceintheworld,”shesaid.“Youcouldjustbemediocreatitandstilltry,andI’mnot.”Instead,she’swrittenanovelthatattemptstojustifynotjustitself,butnovelwriting,period.Whatitcomesdownto,forher—andforHenryJamesandtheVictorians,andevenFelix—issomeinherent,transformativevalueinaestheticexperience.“Iwanttoliveinaculturewherepeoplearemakingart,evenaseverythingelsefallsapart,”Rooneysaid.“Itgivesmylifemeaning.”In“BeautifulWorld,”oneevening,EileennarratesanarousingscenetoSimonoverthephoneinwhichanimaginarywifetakesoffallhisclothes,andhehassexwithher.“Ilivefordetail,”Eileentellshim.“Youpaintacompellingpicture,”Simonsays,momentsbeforeheorgasms.Bothcharacters,oneitherendoftheline,areleftflushed,breathinghard;perhapsthereaderevenfeelssomethingtoo.Becauseattheendoftheworld,whenthere’snothingleftbutoneanother,we’llstillbemoved,inspiteofeverything,bystory.AdvertisementContinuereadingthemainstory