London Review Bookshop talk: Sally Rooney, St George’s Church

When Sally Rooney broke onto the mainstream literary scene in 2017 with her debut novel Conversations With Friends, readers and critics alike were shocked to learn the Irish author was just 27 years old. So acute were her perceptions of the four lead characters’ thoughts; so vivid – and for many, relatable – was the picture she painted of relationships at a formative time in life. The novel was met with critical acclaim and became an instant bestseller.

Rooney’s second novel Normal People followed a year later in 2018, and once again received praise from both critics and readers. The narrative revolves around a connection between two people; it explores love and youth without becoming a romance. The story follows Marianne, a self-contained misfit from a wealthy family, and Connell, the effortlessly popular son of said family’s cleaning lady. Despite wildly different social lives, the two teenagers are drawn together.

Switching between each of their perspectives, Rooney writes with evocative intricacy about the exhilaration and awkwardness of first relationships and the shifting sense of self that comes with leaving home. Just as Marianne and Connell find it impossible to leave one another alone, we, the readers, become fully absorbed in their lives. So much so, that the ambiguous ending of Normal People has left many hoping for a sequel.

Rooney is in conversation with Kishani Widyaratna at St George’s Church, in a talk hosted by the London Review Bookshop. This is a chance to hear the author talk about Normal People, and perhaps even ask any burning questions you have about the novel and its engrossing protagonists.