Beautiful World, Where Are You

Beautiful World, Where Are You deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Rooney has made a name for herself with her Irish settings, depth of character development and contemporary dialogue that keeps the book flowing (I’ve even managed to get over the lack of speech marks). Her stylistically long prose on issues such as beauty, social connection, mental health, god, love, language and capitalism feel like she’s capturing the heart of (my) generation. The topics of conversation that this book pivots around already have a place in every dinner-time debate with my 27-and-35-year-old-friends. They are the stage and the props in long-winded misunderstandings between millennials and their parents/grandparents; people who grew up godless in an overheated, overcrowded planet vs people who grew up in small communities, fighting for their queen and their country. Though it must be said, she does this with simplicity and subtleties, it’s not an overt social commentary.

I loved the four characters in this story, it felt like each one brought depth and breadth to the narrative; allowing Rooney the freedom to step away from solely middle/upper class story telling, which was where Normal People fell a bit flat for me. I really enjoyed her representation of female friendship, and how her characters fall short in the most relatable ways. She weaves joy and light into the small moments, despite using our existing state of affairs as a bleak-enough context that don’t require much imagination.

Over-all, I think its a really wonderful novel that in time will be recognised as a story that truly captures the essence of this period; in much the same way A Tree Grows in Brooklyn does for early twentieth century America.