If you enjoy reading novels by Sally Rooney then you might also like the following authors:
Tayari Jones crafts relatable, emotionally charged novels that explore complicated personal relationships and social issues, similar in style to Sally Rooney’s narratives.
Her novel “An American Marriage” tells the story of Celestial and Roy, a young married couple torn apart after Roy’s wrongful imprisonment. The book examines themes of love, loyalty, race, and the impact external circumstances have upon intimate relationships.
Readers who appreciate how Sally Rooney portrays believable characters and difficult decisions might connect strongly with Jones’s honest portrayal of marriage and its challenges.
Readers who enjoy Sally Rooney will likely appreciate Rachel Cusk’s insightful style and deep exploration of personal relationships. In her novel “Outline,” Cusk introduces us to a narrator named Faye, a writer who travels to Athens to teach a writing course.
Throughout the book, Faye interacts with various individuals she meets during her journey. These conversations slowly reveal shards of their stories, regrets, hopes, and memories.
Instead of focusing strongly on plot progression, “Outline” quietly examines how we build our self-identity through narratives. This novel offers nuanced reflections on identity and connection and will resonate with readers who admire Rooney’s thoughtful, realistic narratives.
If you enjoy the sharp, introspective style of Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh is an author worth exploring. Her novel “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” tells the darkly humorous story of a young woman in New York City at the turn of the millennium.
She seemingly has everything—money, looks, and freedom—yet feels empty and decides to escape reality by sleeping through an entire year. With the help of questionable prescription medications and an eccentric psychiatrist, her unusual experiment takes many unexpected turns.
Moshfegh uses her distinct voice and uncompromising honesty to portray loneliness and the complexity of human emotions in a way Rooney fans will appreciate.
Curtis Sittenfeld offers the kind of insightful storytelling that readers of Sally Rooney often seek. Her writing explores human relationships with honesty and sharp wit.
In her novel “Prep,” she introduces readers to Lee Fiora, a young girl from Indiana attending an exclusive boarding school. Lee navigates social challenges, class differences, and her own insecurities over four formative years.
The story captures the anxiety and candid realities of adolescence in a relatable, thoughtful way. If you appreciate Rooney’s careful attention to characters’ inner lives, you might find a similar connection with Sittenfeld’s “Prep.”
Elena Ferrante is an Italian novelist known for her deeply felt, intimate stories about complex relationships and inner conflict. Ferrante’s writing shares Sally Rooney’s ability to capture the subtleties and emotional tensions in close friendships and romantic bonds.
Her book, “My Brilliant Friend,” tells the story of Elena and Lila, two girls growing up in a neighborhood in Naples. Their friendship evolves from childhood through adolescence, marked by envy, love, competition, and unbreakable loyalty.
Ferrante portrays this friendship honestly, showing how close bonds shape our lives but can also hold us back. Those who appreciate Rooney’s attention to relational nuance and precise emotional insight might find Ferrante’s storytelling equally meaningful.
Readers who enjoy Sally Rooney’s honest portrayals of relationships and insightful character development may appreciate Meg Wolitzer’s novels.
In her book “The Interestings,” Wolitzer explores the lifelong friendships of a group of teenagers who meet at a summer arts camp in the 1970s. As the years pass, their youthful hopes and talents face the trials of real-world responsibilities, envy, success, and disappointment.
The story follows these characters through adulthood as they continuously redefine themselves and their friendships, capturing both the humor and poignancy of ordinary life.
Wolitzer’s writing style is observant and sharp, making the emotional journey of each character both relatable and memorable.
Readers who enjoy Sally Rooney’s sharp insights into character relationships should explore the works of Zadie Smith. Smith’s novel “Swing Time” examines friendship, identity, race, and class through the lives of two girls growing up in London.
Raised in the same neighborhood, the pair becomes close friends. Both share a passion for dance—yet their lives end up on entirely different paths.
Smith skillfully portrays how their friendship shapes and defines their identities, revealing the complexities of ambition, envy, and belonging. Her honest writing and realistic characters will appeal strongly to anyone who appreciates Rooney’s storytelling style.
If you enjoy Sally Rooney’s realistic portrayals of modern relationships and thoughtful exploration of social dynamics, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work may speak to you. Her novel “Americanah” offers a nuanced, perceptive look at love, identity, and the immigrant experience.
The book follows Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who leaves her home to attend university in America. As she navigates her new life in the U.S., Ifemelu finds herself confronting questions of race for the first time and observing the complex realities of cultural adjustment.
In parallel, her former boyfriend Obinze faces his own challenges in Britain. Adichie captures subtle emotional details and honest conversations, making “Americanah” a satisfying read for anyone fascinated by nuanced relationships and contemporary social issues.
If you enjoy Sally Rooney’s insightful reflections on relationships and modern life, Ali Smith might appeal to you as well. Smith tackles human connections and contemporary themes with clever, sharp observations.
Her novel “Autumn” centers around Elisabeth, a young woman who reconnects with Daniel, her elderly neighbor and longtime friend. Through their conversations, Elisabeth reflects on art, politics, and social issues in post-Brexit Britain.
Smith weaves between past and present, exploring meaningful moments that shape Elisabeth’s understanding of herself and the changing world. Her storytelling is engaging, thoughtful, and emotionally authentic.
If you enjoy Sally Rooney’s thoughtful and intimate character portrayals, Jenny Offill’s work could be a perfect fit. In her novel “Dept. of Speculation,” Offill crafts a sharp and insightful look at modern marriage, parenthood, and personal identity.
The book is written in concise and powerful segments that follow a woman’s reflections on her life, aspirations, and the shifting dynamics within her family.
Offill frames mundane details with wit and emotional depth, capturing life’s joys, challenges, and anxieties in a style both precise and lyrical.
For readers drawn to Rooney’s honest depiction of relationships and inner struggles, Offill’s compelling voice offers similar emotional resonance and authenticity.
Rebecca Makkai is an author whose novels explore relationships, identity, and life’s unexpected turns with insight and emotional depth reminiscent of Sally Rooney. Her novel “The Great Believers” moves between contemporary Paris and Chicago in the 1980s.
The story follows Yale Tishman, a young art director in Chicago dealing with loss and courage during the AIDS crisis, and decades later, Fiona, who searches for her estranged daughter in Paris while grappling with past traumas.
With memorable characters, heartfelt dialogue, and connections that linger long after the final page, Makkai sensitively portrays friendship and compassion amidst life’s greatest struggles.
Readers who enjoy Sally Rooney’s sharp yet sensitive exploration of young adulthood will find Emma Cline’s work especially appealing.
Cline’s debut novel “The Girls” tells the story of Evie Boyd, a teenager pulled into the orbit of a mysterious group of young women in 1969 California.
The novel explores Evie’s yearning for acceptance, her fascination with Suzanne—the magnetic leader of the group—and the disturbing direction their bond eventually takes.
Cline masterfully portrays the confusion and intensity of adolescence, combined with an underlying tension that slowly builds toward a dark climax.
The emotional honesty and psychological depth of Evie’s journey make “The Girls” a satisfying read for those drawn to Rooney’s nuanced storytelling.
If you enjoy Sally Rooney’s insightful portrayals of complex relationships and human vulnerabilities, Lauren Groff could become your next favorite author.
Her novel “Fates and Furies” explores the hidden layers within a marriage from two distinct points of view—first Lotto, the charming playwright, and then Mathilde, his mysterious wife.
Their perspectives reveal secrets, unforeseen realities, and emotional undercurrents beneath a seemingly perfect façade. Groff carefully examines love, ambition, and how much we genuinely know those closest to us.
Her storytelling is sharp, emotionally rich, and honest, much in the way Rooney addresses intricate relationships between her characters.
Kate Atkinson is a British author known for novels that explore personal relationships and emotional depth with sharp insight and humor. Readers who enjoy Sally Rooney’s introspective and thoughtful style may also connect deeply with Atkinson’s work.
Her novel “Life After Life” follows Ursula Todd, a woman whose life repeatedly resets whenever she dies. Born again each time, Ursula faces critical events of the twentieth century, and with each new life, tries to alter the world around her.
Atkinson blends history, family drama, and a smart examination of life’s possibilities into an emotional and thoughtful story.
Readers who enjoyed Sally Rooney’s sharp yet subtle portrayal of complex relationships might appreciate Elizabeth Strout’s writing. Strout offers rich, authentic narratives that explore human emotions with honesty and restraint.
In her novel “Olive Kitteridge,” Strout introduces Olive, a blunt yet deeply empathetic retired schoolteacher living in a small coastal town.
Through interconnected stories about Olive and her neighbors, the book compassionately examines the quiet triumphs, frustrations, and hidden sorrows within everyday lives. Strout’s insightful style reveals how ordinary moments carry extraordinary emotional weight.