Conversations with Friends

I devoured Sally Rooney’s debut in a single day when it came out in 2017.

I remember being blown away by her ability to effortlessly convey the depth and complexity of close relationships – particularly the dynamic between narrator Frances, a coolly ironic 21-year-old student, and her ex-girlfriend-now-best-friend-but-maybe-still-romantic-interest, Bobbi.

I loved Conversations with Friends not only for its three-dimensional characters and beautifully precise writing, but also for how true to life it felt. It was the first time I had read a novel that really captured the way my friends and I spoke, thought, and behaved – a thrilling experience. 

Of all the genres, I’m drawn most to contemporary realism and this book is a spectacular example. Despite the age gap between myself and the main character (Frances, aged 21) the writing is so astute, assured, and insightful that this book has no problem straddling the generations. Friendship definitions herein are not conventional which makes it infinitely interesting; the four main characters are a mix of best friends, exes, spouses, new friends, new flings, and new infatuations. Their daily concerns and communications are utterly contemporary, reflecting the seamless mish-mash of digital and in-person updates that sustain modern connections. Vulnerability is… show more.