Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney is the guide that everybody’s speaking about. It was named Waterstone’s Guide of the 12 months 2018, Costa’s Novel of the 12 months 2018 and, then Guide of the 12 months 2019 on the British Guide Awards. It was one among my very favorite reads of 2018 and I can’t suggest it sufficient.
What’s extra, it was picked up by the BBC and was launched on iPlayer on 26 April 2020. If that’s what introduced you to this put up then these are the proper suggestions for what to learn after Regular Individuals!
(And for those who haven’t seen it but then I like to recommend you put aside a while to binge watch is ASAP because it’s one of many very best TV collection and diversifications that I’ve seen in a very long time.)
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 16 Finest Regular Individuals Quotes from the Guide
Rooney’s second novel tells the story of Connell and Marianne. They meet in highschool the place Connell is common however Marianne is taken into account a social pariah. They strike up a secret relationship, opening up to one another in methods neither of them has earlier than.
Quick ahead a number of years they usually’re each college students at Trinity School Dublin. The tide has turned Connell finds it tough to slot in however Marianne finds is surrounded by (sort-of) mates.
It’s a easy story; certainly, not rather a lot occurs when it comes to plot. Nonetheless, there’s one thing about it which gripped me from starting to finish. To make one thing so regular, so transferring is kind of a feat and Sally Rooney is an writer to look out for.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 8 Books Talked about in Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney
This novel is adored by some, hated by others. I’m very a lot within the former class and I assume for those who’re studying this put up then you might be too. I believe every reader’s response to this novel will very a lot be based mostly on their very own life experiences and to what extent they will relate to the interior turmoil skilled by the protagonists.
Rooney has a manner of placing into phrases precisely the way in which I’ve felt about love, relationships, friendships and extra. I felt like she may see into my very soul and I skilled that fantastic sensation whenever you realise somebody has articulated your very ideas and you’re feeling much less a bit much less alone.
Hold scrolling for books like Sally Rooney’s Regular Individuals.
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When you cherished Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney, listed below are some comparable books to Regular Individuals you may get pleasure from. This record is made up of authors whose books supply such a profound perception into human nature that you would be able to’t assist however vigorously nod in understanding and recognition.
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Books Just like Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney
Speaking at Night time by Claire Daverly
Speaking at Night time was my favorite learn of 2024 and I merely raced by way of it. Described as a guide for followers of Regular Individuals and One Day, this debut guide by Clare Daverly was launched with excessive expectations – and it didn’t disappoint.
Youngsters Will and Rosie are polar opposites in some methods – Rosie is an overthinker, and Will is her twin brother’s impulsive finest good friend. However there’s a spark between Will and Rosie from their first assembly they usually forge an unlikely bond by way of secret walks and late-night calls.
Their love story is tainted by tragedy very early on, however the pair can’t keep aside and proceed to be drawn again to 1 one other. Through the years, they repeatedly reconnect, however obstacles preserve popping up which cease them from being with one another.
This guide gave me butterflies, stuffed me with hope, and shattered my coronary heart – on repeat. I concurrently cherished and hated the characters, they usually typically acted in ways in which actually didn’t make sense from an goal outsider’s perspective.
And but, on the identical time, I discovered myself referring to them deeply, understanding why they acted the way in which they did and hoping (praying) that they might make completely different, higher selections.
When you cherished studying about Marianne and Connell, then you’ll little doubt love Rosie and Will’s story too.
Purchase Speaking at Night time: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Conversations with Pals by Sally Rooney
When you preferred Regular Individuals and it was the primary Sally Rooney you’ve ever learn then, after all, you’ll wish to decide up her different works. Conversations with Pals is Rooney’s debut novel and offers with comparable themes of affection and vulnerability.
It’s written from the attitude of 20-year-old Frances and we’re centered wholly on her, in contrast to the alternating views we discover in Regular Individuals.
I didn’t like every of the characters on this novel however I don’t assume we’re speculated to. Frances desperately needs to be mental, Bobby is self-obsessed, Melissa is idolised and Nick is only a bored actor.
The relationships between the 4 of them are weirdly intimate and Rooney makes use of them as a base for her observations on human psychology. I didn’t get pleasure from Conversations with Pals fairly as a lot as Regular Individuals, however for those who’re a brand new fan of Rooney’s work then this can be a must-read.
Purchase Conversations with Pals: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
One Day by David Nicholls
One Day by David Nicholls is kind of like an “grownup” model of Regular Individuals. It was the primary guide that sprang to thoughts after I was considering of books like Regular Individuals.
While Rooney’s novel begins in highschool, One Day begins on the eve of the principle characters’ commencement. We revisit these characters, Dexter and Emma, on the fifteenth of July day-after-day for 15 years.
Nothing terribly thrilling occurs however you end up engrossed within the very atypical story of Emma and Dex. Nicholls captures a sense that many of their 20s could have skilled: the need to search out your home and do one thing together with your life.
Emma needs to be a author however spends a lot of her time working in a Mexican restaurant. Dex needs to be somebody so falls into being a tv character.
Each characters take drastically completely different paths however one thing retains drawing them again collectively. Their personalities couldn’t be extra completely different, which is why they work so properly in tandem.
Every provides the opposite the shove they should get onto the precise path when life is stagnant and also you watch them each battle and develop. It’s a helpful reminder for anybody of their 20s that you simply don’t must have all of it discovered and also you don’t must know the place life is taking you.
One Day doesn’t maintain again from the negatives: bereavement, stagnant relationships, profession failures and extra. There shall be a lot of ups and downs and generally life gained’t be all that thrilling however slowly, slowly you will see your home.
Purchase One Day by David Nicholls: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
The Course of Love is just not your common romance novel. While most depict the candy beginnings of a relationship, ending when the characters get their blissful ending, that time is the place The Course of Love begins.
Alain de Botton, writer and thinker, explores what occurs after we’ve supposedly achieved our blissful ever after, and demonstrates that that is only the start of the lengthy and sophisticated relationship we name love.
He reveals us that life is just not like the flicks and dealing relationships don’t snap into place in a single day. They’re arduous, require numerous onerous work and cooperation from each side.
In order for you a novel that depicts the true nature of affection and romance, with not one of the wishy-washy beliefs normally perpetuated in literature, that is the guide for you. That is one among my very favorite reads and it’s one which I do know I’ll reread time and again all through my life.
Purchase The Course of Love: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Name Me By Your Identify by Andre Aciman
Name Me By Your Identify was one of the talked-about movies of 2018 and the unique story by André Aciman has turn into very fashionable since then. The guide is ready in Italy within the Nineteen Eighties and we comply with the 17-year-old protagonist, Elio, as he discovers old flame and explores need.
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It’s a coming-of-age-story that demonstrates how a single relationship can mark you for a lifetime. It’s a superbly written guide that talks about ardour and feeling in a frank and unsentimental manner harking back to Rooney.
Like many titles on this record, it’s one other guide that in which there’s decidedly little “motion”, with the writer focussing on the inside struggles of his characters. It’s an extremely uncooked narrative that doesn’t maintain again in its descriptions of longing and fantasy.
The prose is gorgeous, although could also be thought of considerably pretentious for some, and the story will go away you with a bittersweet style in your mouth. And it’s not due to the peach. When you’ve seen or learn this, you’ll know what I imply.
Purchase Name Me By Your Identify: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Tender by Belinda McKeon
Tender by Belinda McKeon is one other story set in Dublin and written by an Irish writer much like Sally Rooney. We head again in time to the late nineties and meet Catherine and James, a pupil at Trinity School and an artist.
Catherine is having fun with a stereotypical first-year college existence with events, societies, low cost alcohol, essay writing and a shared flat. Nonetheless, underlying that is nonetheless a woman who’s deeply uncertain of herself, her needs and learn how to conduct herself round others.
James lives boldly and opens Catherine’s eyes as much as one other way of life her life. They turn into the perfect of mates and every grows immensely because of their friendship with the opposite.
Nonetheless, as typically occurs, life attracts the pair aside and takes them each in a course that’s onerous for the opposite to comply with. Like Rooney, McKeon’s novel explores human relationships and their lasting impression on us by way of a narrative of old flame and stolen innocence.
Nonetheless, in Tender, issues then take a darkish flip and, with out revealing an excessive amount of, obsession turns into a significant theme. Maybe we will describe this as a cross between Regular Individuals and You by Caroline Kepnes.
Purchase Tender by Belinda McKeon: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
The Final Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
The Final Letter from Your Lover is by one among my all-time favorite romance authors, Jojo Moyes. This novel is informed in two components, the primary within the Sixties, the second within the current day.
Within the Sixties, Jennifer Stirling is married to a rich man, they dwell in a stunning home and go to events with their different rich mates. She has the “good” life.
However then she’s concerned in a automotive accident and loses her reminiscence from the previous couple of years. When she wakes up, she doesn’t recognise her husband and has no need to let him into her life. One thing’s simply not proper.
She discovers letters between herself and a thriller man “B”. He’s asking her to go away her husband. She struggles to suit again into the previous life that her family and friends inform her she is so fortunate to have. Who’s B?
The Final Letter from Your Lover is the story of two individuals who preserve lacking one another as a result of on a regular basis life and social norms get in the way in which. The novel revolves round one central query – do you do what the center needs or do you comply with the unstated guidelines of Sixties society?
In these days, divorce was nonetheless taboo and it actually wasn’t one thing a pleasant girl like Jennifer Stirling ought to take into account. The novel explores lots of the identical themes as Regular Individuals, similar to sophisticated relationships, a girl’s place in society, conformity to social norms.
The emphasis is extra on the romance right here however the themes explored in relation to each Sixties society and modern-day society exhibit the universality of such points that are simply as necessary as we speak as they have been 50 years in the past.
Purchase The Final Letter From Your Lover: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah by Chimamanda has turn into a contemporary basic and explores the lives of two Nigerians who depart for the West. Ifemelu heads to the USA the place she finds educational success and Obinze heads to the UK to guide life as an undocumented immigrant.
It’s a kind of coming-of-age story combined with a (pretty unromantic) love story and we’re given glimpses into these two characters’ lives each collectively and aside.
The dominant themes of Americanah are id and race. Ifemelu has lived within the USA for over a decade however her experiences lead her to start out a preferred weblog the place she paperwork her expertise of being African in America.
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In the same option to Rooney, Chimimanda’s astute observations on individuals and social norms are spot on, particularly so in these weblog posts.
Each Ifemelu and Obinze’s look upon the West with overseas eyes and their narratives make you assume twice about social norms you could by no means have questioned for those who grew up within the US or the UK.
When you’ve ever been made to really feel “different” then you will see Americanah to be extremely relatable and profoundly revealing concerning the society we dwell in.
Purchase Americanah: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Every little thing I Know About Love
I really feel like Every little thing I Know About Love is a guide that Regular Individuals‘s Marianne must learn. It’s written by former Sunday Occasions courting columnist Dolly Alderton and is stuffed with private courting disasters, recipes, observations on life and love and extra.
Alderton clearly had a privileged upbringing and so I believe Marianne would be capable to relate to a few of Alderton’s experiences.
That is Alderton’s memoir up to now and particulars the struggles of early maturity. This contains many, many dates she’s been on, the tough seek for a job, discovering a way of self-worth and extra. It’s concurrently humorous and heart-breaking with the overarching message that you might be sufficient.
Total this guide is far more upbeat than Regular Individuals because it presents hope for its readers that it’ll all prove okay. Rooney delivered a bittersweet finale for her readers however Alderton’s guide will go away shaking your head fondly on the ridiculous antics of Alderton.
Purchase Every little thing I Know About Love: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
The Fool by Elif Batuman
The Fool by Elif Batuman is a coming-of-age story centred round Selin, a Turkish-American woman in her freshman yr at Harvard. She makes mates with Svetlana, her Serbian classmate, and strikes up an electronic mail relationship with Ivan, an older Hungarian pupil.
On the finish of her first yr of college, she heads to the Hungarian countryside to show English (couldn’t probably have something to do with Ivan may it?) and spends the summer season in Europe.
This novel delves into the sentiments of old flame, more energizing life, the seek for which means and a way of id. As with Regular Individuals, many individuals complain concerning the lack of motion on this guide. Batuman takes us by way of the trivia of Selin’s first yr of college together with each the thrilling and the banal.
She doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing and infrequently wonders how everybody else appears to have all of it discovered. This can be a acquainted feeling to these of us in our twenties and Batuman articulates it completely and infrequently very humorously too.
Purchase The Fool: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Present Them a Good Time by Nicole Flattery
Nicole Flattery is one other rising voice in Irish Literature and comparisons to Sally Rooney have been made already. When you’re in search of authors like Sally Rooney then Nicole Flattery is an efficient place to start out.
Present Them a Good Time is Flattery’s debut assortment of quick tales that discover what it’s to be a person and lady in as we speak’s society.
The narrator is a younger, broke Irish lady and Flattery makes use of the story of life and relationships to select aside the roles each genders have been pigeonholed into.
Present Them a Good Time lacks a number of the extra lighthearted and heartwarming moments that Regular Individuals has, which makes this assortment more durable to entry. There’s little doubt about it – these tales are unusual.
A number of individuals gained’t “get” them, however for many who worth darkish humour and social criticism, this isn’t one to overlook.
The protagonist’s fervent refusal to adapt to the norms of recent society and her frank appraisal of occasions round her additionally jogged my memory of the voice of Eleanor Oliphant too.
Purchase Present Them a Good Time: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
You and Me on Trip by Emily Henry
You and Me on Trip (Individuals We Meet on Trip within the US) is a will-they-won’t-they, friends-to-lovers story that can tug at your heartstrings.
Poppy and Alex have little in frequent. Once they first meet at school, they actively dislike one another.
She’s a journey junkie, at all times looking for out far-flung places, he’s the sort who needs to calm down within the suburbs.
A yr later, they’re pressured to carpool again to their hometown collectively they usually by some means turn into the perfect of mates.
This story differs from Marianne and Connell’s in that it isn’t an on-and-off romance, however one the place life and circumstances preserve getting in the way in which of their emotions for one another.
Each characters have emotional points they’re coping with that hinder them from revealing their true emotions and it’s painful to look at a pair who’re so clearly meant to be collectively be saved aside by closed mouths and repressed emotions.
Regardless of these underlying themes, it’s a humorous, romantic, heartwarming guide. It’s maybe much less deep than a number of the different titles on this record, however this guide is ideal for many who are romantics at coronary heart and cherished the romance facets of Regular Individuals.
Purchase You and Me on Trip: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells
Voilà, there you will have 12 books to learn for those who preferred Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney! These books are all much like Regular Individuals in a technique or one other with some being extra uplifting and others being much more profound.
And for those who’ve made it this far down the web page however haven’t really learn Regular Individuals but, you’d higher crack on now earlier than it’s tailored for the display screen!
Don’t neglect to take a look at the TV adaptation now obtainable on BBC iPlayer!
Purchase Regular Individuals by Sally Rooney
Amazon | Blackwells
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Laura
Founder & Editor of What’s Scorching?
Laura is an award-winning journey and guide blogger based mostly within the UK. She studied French literature at Oxford College and is now an IP lawyer at a prime legislation agency in London. She was named UK Guide Blogger of the 12 months in 2019 and loves to mix her ardour for books and journey with literary journey.