Conversations with Friends by Salley Rooney

(No Spoilers)

2 stars

The central premise revolves around two friends (also exes) in their twenties, Frances and Bobbi. Their lives take a dramatic turn when they are drawn into the sphere of Melissa, a photographer, and her husband, Nick, an actor. As the story unfolds, Frances and Nick find themselves irresistibly attracted to each other, sparking an affair that sets off a chain of awkward situations.

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney took me a while to read. As a fan of her previous works like Normal People and Beautiful World, Where Are You? - I had high expectations. Rooney's signature style of seamlessly weaving dialogue into the narrative and her incisive social commentary are strengths, and her writing remains beautiful. However, this novel felt overpacked and lacked cohesion, resulting in a rather depressing narrative devoid of uplifting messages. It just had a flat kind of murky feel to it.

The central character, Frances, failed to elicit empathy or support due to her consistent emotional detachment and refusal to change. The supporting characters were equally unlikable and lacked depth, kind of crawling through life instead of fighting. The plot revolved around ‘modern relationships’ which just means infidelity (kind of resent how they are apparently synonymous).

Rooney's writing is obviously amazing in depicting realistic dialogue and settings, but the characters were so unlikable that it was challenging to invest in their outcomes. They were catty, capricious and adrift with blandness.

Ultimately, Conversations with Friends fell short of expectations, with unrelatable characters and a plot that failed to engage. While Rooney's writing talent shines through, this novel left me feeling disconnected and disinterested.

Lukewarm feelings.