*spoiler-free*
Beautiful World, Where Are You is the most hyped-up book on Instagram at the moment and I am glad I picked it up. The marketing for this book has been next level and it definitely worked on me as I bought this book a lot earlier than I planned to. I was not the biggest fan of Normal People by Sally Rooney, however, the premise of this book along with its beautiful cover sold me.
We are introduced to Alice, who’s a writer, and Felix, who works in a warehouse and we begin to see how their relationship develops throughout the book. I also noticed some parallels between Alice’s character and Rooney herself as an author. This intrigued me to read more as there are wider discussions around the publishing industry and some deeper insights into the true life of an author. Next, we meet 29-year-old Eileen, who has been best friends with Alice for years and Simon, who is 5 years older. Eileen and Simon have been romantically entwined but have found their relationship has never been that simple.
One of the most notable aspects of Rooney’s writing is her decision not to use speech marks. I remember this throwing me off when reading her other books and this remained the same with Beautiful World, Where Are You. I did get used to it quickly, possibly due to my experience with reading Normal People recently, but sometimes I did have to re-read some pages to ensure I knew who said what in a conversation. This is because Rooney included a lot of deeper conversations within this book. The characters often discuss issues within society, philosophy, politics, and religion which is interesting to read, however, I did struggle when the book would jump to these intense discussions every so often.
Beautiful World, Where Are You did not differ from Rooney’s other books in the sense that it is not necessarily plot-driven but focuses largely on character development. However, the writing is fast paced which is enjoyable and fits well with the format of the book. Frequently, Alice and Eileen write long emails to each other which help put a lot of things into context, such as past relationships and family drama. Sometimes I found these emails would drag slightly in between the plot, but it was nice to get an insight into Alice and Eileen’s relationship.
I do often find Rooney’s books frustrating to read as all her characters struggle with basic communication, yet this is the fascination around her writing as she focuses on how humans over complicate scenarios, especially when it comes to friendships and relationships and result in people becoming a detriment to themselves. I also find it interesting as I don’t find Rooney’s characters particularly likeable. In the case of Beautiful World, Where Are You I didn’t take to Eileen, but simultaneously I was intrigued by her story. I especially liked learning more about Eileen and Simon’s relationship and seeing which direction they would head in. I also enjoyed how Rooney concluded the book well and even briefly mentioned the pandemic and the mental struggles that came with lockdown.
Overall, this was a warm read compared to Rooney’s other books, and I’m glad I got around to reading it. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading about human interaction and relationships and would like to try Rooney’s unique writing style.
4/5 stars
Soph's Library 