Conversations with Friends: A Novel

I really loved this book. A lot of reviews critique the plot, which I found more or less irrelevant, or the main character's likability. I actually loved how unlikable the main character was. This book is worth reading just for Rooney's incredible descriptions and characterization. Are these the most fascinating characters I've ever encountered in a book? No. But her characters have this really delightful way of surprising you. You think of them one way, and then they say or do something and all the dynamics take a fun twist.I do have two issues to mention.-One- When I first started this book I wasn't sure I would enjoy it at all because I have already read Normal People and the main character is so similar to Marianne. Eventually Rooney's writing itself won me over, but sometimes I can't enjoy multiple books from the same author because the patterns become too pronounced and this book felt that way at first. I might have liked it even more if it was my first read by this author.-Two- SPOILERI was disappointed by the way the queer relationships were depicted in this book. I wish the book had spent more time developing the Bobbi and Frances dynamic. I believe Frances is meant to have lasting feelings about Bobbi dumping her, but so much time is spent on her myopic obsession with Nick that her desire for Bobbi doesn't really come across. The love scenes between Nick and Frances are sexy, whereas the physical tension between Frances and Bobbi is barely mentioned. I liked that they got back together in the end, but then Frances and Nick had a phone call that made it seem that she was going to go right back to him a month later which I found disappointing. I can only imagine this ruining their friendship (again) which is a shame because I think their friendship/dynamic would have been interesting if it had been explored more.

Set in Ireland, CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS is about two friends, Frances and Bobbi, who develop a relationship with a privileged married couple. Frances is attracted to the husband, Nick, and that plot line is the main focus of the novel. I wasn’t sure what to think about this book for the first few chapters. It didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and the characters seemed to chatter rather than say anything meaningful. But at some point, it caught my interest, and by the end of the book I discovered I liked it a lot.I understand the negative reviewers who describe this book as a lot of whining by self-centered 20 year olds. It took me awhile to warm up to the characters, and even then, I was only really interested in Frances and Nick and their vulnerabilities. The narrative reads less like a plot-driven novel and more like an introspective of Frances. I think that’s the point. Yes, she is immature and insecure, and she makes a lot of selfish choices. In the end, I’m not sure she even regrets those choices. But when I looked at her life through the lens of her relationship with her alcoholic father and enabling mother, and what it means to be an adult child of an alcoholic, the book came together for me. Nick’s issues with depression and his willingness to please adds another layer that explains a lot about their relationship.Reviewers also pointed out the often overly simplistic sentence structure. It worked for me because the book was told by Frances and the staccato-like syntax reflected the rhythm of her thought after thought after thought. It gave me more insight into her insecurities and confusion as she grapples with who she is and what actually makes her happy. At other times, when for a moment we were more in the setting than in Frances’s head, the writing is stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous. I think the combination of writing style is a testament to Rooney’s gift for language.This is not a book for everyone, which accounts for the love-it or hate-it reviews, but I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.

Frances is 21 years old, works at a job she is not at all engaged with and almost would seem to prefer to not have, goes to college, and performs her spoken word poetry with her best friend/ex-girlfriend Bobbi at night. The latter has gotten enough attention to draw into their orbit Melissa, a 30something writer and photographer who wants to profile them, and her husband Nick, a working actor who has found only minor success. While Melissa and Bobbi hit it off, Frances and Nick develop a connection of their own and it’s not too long before they wind up in bed together. This doesn’t feel like a spoiler, as it is very obvious that it’s going to end up there. This obviously has reverberations for Frances’s relationships with both Bobbi and Melissa. Sally Rooney is one of those authors that has a devoted following, so I was really excited to start reading her work with this, her debut novel. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t really understand the fuss. This is a character book, which I’m inclined to like, but without a character I found compelling. Frances is a frustrating protagonist. Not because she’s aimless or sleeps with someone else’s husband or is trying to figure out who she is, but because she’s just not very interesting while she’s doing all of that. I didn’t find her unlikeable, I just found her boring. I found myself wondering why and even if I was supposed to care about her or her connections with Nick, Bobbi, and Melissa. I had a hard time understanding how a person seemingly so empty and detached could write poetry that was engaging enough to get anyone’s attention. What kept my interest was the quality of the prose. Rooney’s writing is subtle, and she has a real knack for dialogue and descriptions. Her words are clearly deliberately chosen but she never slides into flowery language. Her use of language alone makes me want to read her other books, but I hope they’re better than this one.