So there’s been a bit of a thing on Twitter about Sally Rooney’s next book (yeah, yeah I’m not tweeting but I’m still reading). The flurry of responses has been about a ‘review’ of Rooney’s upcoming book, Beautiful World, Where Are You. I put review in scare quotes because some people say it’s not really a review and that it’s unfair (ie along the lines of: why didn’t you write this type of book, the one that I would write? Why didn’t you write a book that speaks to me? I hate you. You have merch.)
Here’s the review, it’s by Jessica Tu who is a debut novelist whose own book came out last year (?) and who around that time wrote another ‘review’ about a fellow Allen & Unwin debut author about which people also had thoughts.
Of course I have opinions too but I’m going to be careful here. I’ll only say that I don’t think it’s a good review if the reviewer is focused on why the book isn’t another type of book.
Surely there are better literary heroes for our generation rather than Sally Rooney
And yes, there is merch:
I am disturbed by the lack of question mark in the title. What is that about I wonder?
SERAGLIO 