WithIntermezzo,Sally Rooney Is All Grown Up: ‘I Didn't Want to Be 'the Young Novelist''

Mar. 15, 2025

Sally Rooney in 2017.Photo:Richard Saker/Shutterstock

Richard Saker/Shutterstock

In recent years, Irish authorSally Rooney, 33, has been considered a wunderkind of the literary world, thanks to the breakout success of 2017’sConversations with Friends, 2018’sNormal Peopleand 2021’sBeautiful World, Where Are You.

But in arecent interview withThe Guardian, the author says that she no longer feels like her reputation as “Salinger for the Snapchat generation” fits where she is as a writer today.“I really feel like I’m not lying when I say I’m quite keen to leave that all behind,” Rooney told the publication. “I didn’t actually want to be ‘the young novelist’; I just wanted to be good.”

Rooney’s fourth novel,Intermezzo, comes out on Sept. 24, and has strong similarities to — and departures from — her previous books. It still takes place in her native Ireland and focuses on the interpersonal relationships between young people. ButIntermezzofollows two brothers who are a decade apart in age and struggling in the aftermath of their father’s death, as well as the women with whom they are romantically involved. Fraught male sibling dynamics, and the way they quietly (or not so quietly) erupt on the page, mark new ground for Rooney.

Sally Rooney and the cover of ‘Intermezzo’.Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty; Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty; Farrar, Straus and Giroux

“I was very aware that I was stepping outside my own social reality,” Rooney said. Despite that,Intermezzohas become one of the most-anticipated book releases of the fall. TikTok users — as well as celebrities likeSarah Jessica Parker— proudly showed off their coveted early review copies of the book online, and Rooney’s dedicated readership are already singing the novel’s praises.

Rooney, however, toldThe Guardianthat the fame that comes with being a sought-after author — particularly a female author — can be difficult as well.“The experience of being a young woman in the public eye is not always a completely pleasant or easy one. There’s so much to say and think and argue about when it comes to the role of young women in our culture,” Rooney said. “But I would love not to be the focal point on which that discussion sometimes rests. I would love that not to be me.”

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Sally Rooney.David Levenson/Getty Images

“I still live the same existence and know all the same people. I haven’t gone anywhere,” the author said. “So I don’t feel that my experience of success, although it absolutely has been a huge part of my life, has taken me away from normal life in a way that makes it difficult for me to write about people experiencing ordinary problems.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I am blessed with a love of writing,” Rooney added. “I love working.”

source: people.com