Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney review - The ...

“Aren't we unfortunate babies to be born when the world ended?” In Rooney's third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, Alice and Eileen are ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationAdvertisementNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShowMoreShowMoreNewsWorldnewsUKnewsCoronavirusClimatecrisisEnvironmentScienceGlobaldevelopmentFootballTechBusinessObituariesOpinionTheGuardianviewColumnistsCartoonsOpinionvideosLettersSportFootballCricketRugbyunionTennisCyclingF1GolfUSsportsCultureBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStageLifestyleFashionFoodRecipesLove&sexHealth&fitnessHome&gardenWomenMenFamilyTravelMoneyMakeacontributionSubscribeSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteTheGuardianappVideoPodcastsPicturesNewslettersToday'spaperInsidetheGuardianTheObserverGuardianWeeklyCrosswordsSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStageBookofthedaySallyRooneyBeautifulWorld,WhereAreYoubySallyRooneyreview–theproblemofsuccessHowdoyoufollowtwobrilliantlyacclaimednovels?Rooneyexaminesmeaning,art,friendshipandthepriceoffamethroughthestoryoftwocouples‘Prosesoclean,itreflectsthereaders’prejudicesrightbackatthem’...SallyRooney.Photograph:LindaBrownlee/TheGuardian‘Prosesoclean,itreflectsthereaders’prejudicesrightbackatthem’...SallyRooney.Photograph:LindaBrownlee/TheGuardianAnneEnrightThu2Sep202109.12BSTLastmodifiedonThu2Sep202110.01BSTTherehasbeensuchalotofnoisearoundSallyRooney’swork,suchanamountoffervourandpossiblymanufactureddivision.“ThecultofSallyRooney,”saysoneheadline.“WhydosomanypeoplehateSallyRooney?”asksanother.Thediscussioncannotbeaboutthequalityofhersentences,whichareimpeccable,orabouthertone,whichisthoughtful,oftensweet-mindedandalwaysrigorous.Thisisproseyoueithergetordon’tget;forsomeitisincisive,forothersbanal.Whichmakesmewonderifitissoclean,itreflectsthereaders’prejudicesrightbackatthem.Rooneyiscertainlyinterestedinaccuracy:herfirsttwonovelsmanagedtobesexuallyexactwithoutbeingsmutty,andthisisaninterestingtrick.Initsrepudiationofshame,thestylerepresentsanadvanceofsomekind,anditmaybethisautonomythatirritatesthosenotionalcriticswhoarenotionallymaleandnotionallymisogynistic.Also–andthisreallydoesannoysomepeople–Rooneywritesaboutlove.If“romance”isonekeyinsulthere,“millennial”isanother.Thedivergenceofopinionisstyled,accuratelyornot,asgenerational,andtheconversationispartlyaboutwhatisorisnottobetakenseriously.Inherfirsttwobooks,Rooneywrotescrupulouslyaboutencountersthatareusuallyseenasimpermanent,andthereforealittlesilly:anaffairandfirstlove.Theintensitiesofexperience,socoollydescribed,arelargerthanissociallyuseful,associetyusedtobeconstructed.Forthegenerationrepresentedinthesebooks,however,thoseconstructionsnolongerhold–theyoungarereapingtheruintheirancestorssowed.(JaneAusten’sheroineswerenottroubledbyapocalypse;perhapsthisiswhytheydidnotpause,inlove,toabhortheslavetrade.)ConversationswithSallyRooney:the27-year-oldnovelistdefiningagenerationReadmore“Aren’tweunfortunatebabiestobebornwhentheworldended?”InRooney’sthirdnovel,BeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou,AliceandEileenarebestfriends,abouttoturn30,whoareagreedthathumancivilisationisfacingcollapse,beautyisdead,artiscommodifiedandthenovelirrelevantasaform.ThesesmartIrishMarxistsarebestfriendsfromcollege,andtheyhavelivesthatare,inverydifferentways,abitlikeRooney’sown.AliceisanunfeasiblysuccessfulyoungwriterandEileenworksforaliterarymagazine,earning20grandayear.Thebookinterleavestheirseparatelovestorieswiththelongemailstheysendeachother,inwhichtheyhavemuchtodiscussandshare.“Wearestandinginthelastlightedroombeforethedarkness,”saysAlice,giventhat“thereisnochancefortheplanet,andnochanceforus.”AndthoughEileenagrees,shefindssolaceintheordinary.“Maybewearejustborntoloveandworryaboutthepeopleweknow,”shereplies.“Infactit’stheveryreasonIrootforustosurvive–becausewearesostupidabouteachother.”AlicewillbestupidaboutFelix,apossiblydodgyguyshemeetsonTinder,andEileenwillbeincrediblystupidaboutSimon,thefriendofheryouth,whoisgorgeous,unapproachablymoraland,ofallthings,aCatholic.FansofRooney’spreviousworkwillrelishtheacheanduncertaintyofhercharacters’comingofage,herwaywithemotionaldifficultyandherbrillianceinshowingthebarriersweputbetweenourselvesandtheloveofothers.ThelastthirdofBeautifulWorld,WhereAreYou,whenthefourcharactersmeetandconnect,isatourdeforce.Thedialogueneverfalters,andtheproseburnsupthepage.Ittakessometimetogetthesepeopleinthesameroom,however,andthatmovementtowardsintimacyispurposelydelayedbyRooney’sdescriptiveprose,whichheatsupslowly.Westartthenovelknowingnothing–eventhewriterseemstoknownothing–aboutthesehumanbeings.Actionsaredescribedinmicroscopicdetail,expressionsarehardtoread.Peopledon’tgoonline,they“taptheiconofasocialmediaapp”andtheirscreenstakeseveralsentencestoload.Oneofthebravurasectionsinthefirstpartofthebookdescribes,withgreatflatteningeffect,Alice’sdaypromotingherbook(or“beingfamous”)inRomewhileherdate,Felix,wandersthecitywithhisphone.Oneperson’slife,anotherperson’slife;neitherisvalued,bythesesentences,morethantheother.Slowly,thissenseofdistancebecomeseroticallycharged;peopletalkquietlyoverthephone,screensareblanklyfullofpossibility,wordsthrill.Eileenstartstofeel‘thepossibilityofbeauty,likealightradiatingsoftlyfrombehindthevisibleworld’...BlackwaterbeachinCountyWexford.Photograph:IanMiddleton/Alamy/Alamy“Fornoapparentreason,heswitchedoffhisindicatorlightandcontinueddrivingstraight”–it’sabitlikereadinglateDeLillo,untilthecharactershavesex,atwhichpointitislikereadingRooneyathercoolest,withherdistinctivechoreographyofthegaze,andofthebreath,andamightyprecisionaboutwhat-goes-where.Aftertheseopaquesexualinteractions,theemailsbetweenAliceandEileencomeinarushofloquacity.Thewomenwritetoeachotheraboutsocietalcollapse,andhowtheirlivesofeasyconsumptionaremadepossiblebythemiseryofmillions.Theyarealsointerestedinpersonalgoodness;inJesus,asawrittencharacter;intherelationshipbetweenbeautyandsympathy;intheusesoffictionandtheemptinessoffame.Aliceisquestinganddisillusioned,Eileenmorehopefulandfretfulboth.Theirresponsetoexistentialthreatisnottotalkofnihilism,butofempathy,moralityandlove.Bothwomenhavesufferedalossofmeaning.Eileen,recoveringfromabreakup,haslongstoppedwritingmomentsdowninherjournal:“theworldjustcametomeflat,likesomecatalogueofinformation”.Alice,wholandedanenormousbookdealattheageof25,hasjustemergedfrompsychiatriccare.Famehasinvolved,forher,aradicallossofpersonhood.Shehasbecomesomethingshewantedtobeandnowenergeticallydespises;findingversionsofherselfonlinemakesherfeelsheisalreadydead.Butthewomencontinuetofigurethingsout,andtheirnewsexualrelationshipskindleintoconnection.Recently,Eileenhasfeltitagain:“thenearness,thepossibilityofbeauty,likealightradiatingsoftlyfrombehindthevisibleworld”.Aliceremembershowwritinganovelmadeherfeel“likeGodhadputhishandonmyheadandfilledmewiththemostintensedesireIhadeverfelt…desiretobringsomethingintobeingthathadneverexistedbefore”.Theexposureoffame,especiallysuddenfamelikeRooney’s,isdeeplyshockingAfterthis,therearenomoreemailsandtheprosecomesalight.Whenpeoplegatheratafamilywedding,onemindgiveswaytoanothermind,historiesunfold,simileshappen–metaphors,even!Thelastrunofthenovelisallgenerosity;personaldetailssimplyemerge,realconversationsareheld,insightsabound.Thereaderwillmeetallthiswithawhoopofrecognition,thoughitispossiblethatsomewillwonderwhyittooksolong.Howdoyoufollowtwobrilliantlyacclaimednovels?Rooneyhassolvedtheproblemofsuccessbywritingabouttheproblemofsuccess.ItisneverclearhowwearetorelatetoAlice,thewriter,whofeelsseparatedfromheroriginsby“agulfofsophistication”.Shecanbechillyandintimidating,whileherindifferencetoherfinancescanonlybeaprovocationtothepeoplewholoveher,andwhohaven’tgottuppencetotheirname.Alicehates“thesystemofliteraryproduction”,whichtellswriterstheyarespecialandremovesthemfromordinarylife.Asfarassheisconcerned,novelsdon’tmatteradamninthegeneralschemeofthings,andherreader(sheonlymentionsone)isonlineandweird.IfoundmyselfwishingthatEileenwouldpushbackmorestrongly,butthefriends’sharedworldviewmakesithardtogetaproperdialecticgoinghere.Meanwhile,“Theynevertireofgivingmeawards,dothey?”Alicewrites,andI,forone,starttothinkthatRooneyisyankingourchain.Whenafictionalwriteropinesthatwriters’opinionsshouldnotmatter,therealwriteriseitherhavinghercakeandeatingit,orenactingtheparadoxeshercharactersoderides.Theexposureoffame,especiallysuddenfamelikeRooney’s,isdeeplyshocking.Likeanytrauma,itemptiesourlivesofmeaning,atleastforawhile.Afterwards,thereisalwaysthehopethatawritercanreturntothedifficultyandpleasureofthework–thattheworldhasnotrobbedthemoftheverythingwecelebratethemfor.Itiswonderfultoseesuchareturnhappeninfrontofyouonthepage.Alice’sconclusionsareessentiallyreligious.Forthereader,caringforafictionalcharacterisawayofpractisingthekindof“disinterestedlovetowhichJesuscallsus”.Forthewriter,anovelisablessingthatcannotberefused.Wemustallbedelightedthatshe,andhercreator,havefoundawaythrough.TopicsSallyRooneyBookofthedayFictionreviewsReusethiscontentBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStage