Rooney's 'Mr Salary' is more than your ordinary unrequited ...

Sally Rooney's “Mr Salary” is dense with metaphors, picturesque scenes and passages worthy of being mounted against a living-room wall. “Mr ... Close Searchfor: Search News CampusLife Administration AnnArbor Government Research Academics Sports Football Baseball Men’sBasketball Women’sBasketball IceHockey Softball Sports&Society Wrestling Gymnastics Soccer Opinion Columns Cartoons Editorials LetterstotheEditor Op-Eds SurvivorsSpeak Arts Books Film Music TV CampusCulture DigitalCulture B-Side Statement MichinColor Horoscopes A³Spotlight Multimedia PhotoEssays Podcasts Videos Miseducation About Advertise ContactUs JoinUs Donate PrintIssue Culture,TrainingandInclusion Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Spotify Close Skiptocontent Home»Arts»Books»Rooney’s‘MrSalary’ismorethanyourordinaryunrequitedlovestory SallyRooneyenteredtheliteraryscenein2015with“EvenifYouBeatMe,”anonfictionessaypublishedintheDublinReviewrecountingheryearsasachampiondebater.Ayearlater,Rooneymadethejumptofictionwith“MrSalary,”ashortstorypickedupbytheliterarymagazineGrantaandquicklyshortlistedfortheSundayTimesEFGShortStoryAward,therichestprizeofitskind.In2017Rooneyreleased“ConversationswithFriends,”herfirstnovelchroniclingthenuancedadulterythatcombinesandrecombinesacoupleandapairofbestfriends.Rooney’sdebutwasmetwithelectricpraise,awardinghercomparisonstobothSalingerandJoyceandlandingherintheVIPzoneoftheliteraryradar.Forayear,wesalivated.InAug.2018,Rooneyreleasedhersophomorenovel,“NormalPeople,”inherhomecountryofIreland,whereitquicklyspreadlikerapidfireacrosstheglobeviasocialmediaandAmazon. Intheshortspanofthreeyears,Rooneyhasevolvedfromessayisttofictionwriterto“thefirstgreatmillennialnovelist.”SallyRooneygotaNewYorkerinterviewinJanuary,toldTheGuardianthatshe“do(esn’t)respondtoauthorityverywell”andhasa10-minuteYouTubevideoonwritingandMarxism.She’saveritableculturalevent,heraldedforherbareprose,bitingironyandslowburnofloveinthetimeoflatecapitalism.Justcheckoutwhathappenswhenyousearch#normalpeopleonInstagram.“NormalPeople”dropsintheStatesonTuesday,Apr.16,andTheMichiganDailyBookReviewiscelebratingbyreviewingRooney’sfictioncareer,lasttofirst.Catch“NormalPeople”onthe16th,“ConversationswithFriends”onthe17thand“MrSalary”onthe18th.Ataslim48pages,SallyRooney’s“MrSalary”deliversadeliciouslyillicitandpoignantlovestory.Thisisdoneinafractionofthepagesofherfull-lengthnovelslike“ConversationwithFriends”and“NormalPeople.”Inthestory,SukiereturnshometoDublinfromBostontovisitherdyingfather,Frank.She’sgreetedattheairportbyNathan,herclosestfriend.Theirinteractionisheadywithunfulfilledsexualtension.SukiemovedinwithNathanyearsagoafterhermotherdiedandherfatherlostalltheirsavingstoprescriptiondrugs.Sukiewas19atthetime,finishingupherexams.Nathanwas34.Duetotheprecariousnatureoftheirrelationshipandthe15-yearagegap,therewasnothingsordidabouttheirtimespentlivingtogether.Nathanevenjokesabouttheirlivingarrangement.Hesays,“I’mnotreallygettingmymoney’sworth,amI?”Despitethis,SukiefallsdeeplyandirrevocablyinlovewithNathan. “Myloveforhimfeltsototalandannihilatingthatitwasoftenimpossibleformetoseehimclearlyatall,”Sukiesaid.Hewasthereforherwhennooneelsewas.Now,they’reontheedgeoftheinevitable.AsaMarxist,SallyRooneyexploresclasstensionthroughcharacterrelationshipsin“ConversationwithFriends”and“NormalPeople.”Thesocio-economicstratificationservestomagnifythepowerimbalancebetweenhercharacters,addinganotherconflicttoheralreadytension-packedstories. Rooneydoesn’tdeviatefromthisthemein“MrSalary,”weavingadeeplylayeredandcomplexrelationshipinunder50pages.“MrSalary”hasasimpleplot,butit’sRooney’srealisticwritingandprofoundthemesthatelevatethebookintoaworkofart.It’snotoftenthatIfindmyselflaughingandcryinginthespanofasingleparagraph.Itwould’vebeeneasyforNathanandSukie’srelationshiptofallintoperversity,butit’sbalancedbyafatedtragedy.Theiruncertainromance—willtheyorwon’tthey?—isframedwiththepervasiveatmosphereofdeath.“Nothinginsidemybodywastryingtokillme.Deathwas,ofcourse,themostordinarythingthatcouldhappen,atsomelevelIknewthat.Still,Ihadstoodtherewaitingtoseethebodyintheriver,ignoringthereallivingbodiesallaroundme,asifdeathwasmoreofamiraclethanlifewas.” SallyRooney’s“MrSalary”isdensewithmetaphors,picturesquescenesandpassagesworthyofbeingmountedagainstaliving-roomwall.“MrSalary”doesmorethantouchontheintricaciesofaforbiddenrelationship:Itaddssubstancetoinnermostthoughtsofnewadultlivinginthe21stcentury.It’seasytorelateto“MrSalary”asajuniorincollege,worryingaboutmyfuturebutstilltightlyholdingontheoptimismofmychildhood.Like“ConversationswithFriends”and“NormalPeople,”Rooneyleaves“MrSalary”open-ended.Thereareelementsofmelancholyjuxtaposedwithsentimentality.SallyRooney,atjust27yearsold,managestomasterfullyconveythesetwosentiments.Weekslater,mythoughtsstillcirculatebacktothisstoryasifNathanandSukiearemyownfriends.It’sthebestshortstoryI’vereadthisyear.It’sperhapsthebeststorythatI’veeverread. PleaseconsiderdonatingtoTheMichiganDaily $10 $25 $30 Other SuggestedarticlesSallyRooney’s‘BeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou’isrequiredreadingTheBookerPrize2021:ReviewsandpredictionsA³Spotlight:JyotsnaSreenivasanaskswhatIndianparentscangivetotheirAmericanchildren Leaveacomment CancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*CommentName* Email* Website Savemyname,email,andwebsiteinthisbrowserforthenexttimeIcomment. 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