Reading Groups

Conversations with Sally Rooney with Chris Holmes

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3 Sessions Thursdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 7:30 pm EDT May 7 to June 18, 2026

The Center for Fiction

The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at an additional 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
5/7, 5/28, 6/18
In Person at The Center for Fiction

The Sally Rooney phenomenon is a puzzle. A millennial Irish Marxist and former college debate champion writes a first novel about a polycule that goes wrong-ways-up and becomes an overnight literary success. Rooney couldn’t be less interested in the attention, but keeps writing novels of intense and agonizing intimacy that appear to be formless, or at the very least made of a form that is experienced as immediacy. Last year, bookstores throughout London opened at 6am to welcome early risers to purchase her latest, Intermezzo. Tote bags with her likeness and book images followed.

So what is it that obsesses us about Rooney’s fiction? Clearly, the answer lives in the nexus of her care for the complex emotional lives of her characters and the craft of her fiction, which wears the heaviness of the world in cinematic forms. Our sessions will be devoted to unlocking the secret of Rooney’s enduring appeal, her ability to capture the political and social tenor of our moment, and her character portraits, which treat vulnerability and tenderness as the root of our humanity.

We will engage with three of her most beloved novels: Conversations with Friends, Normal People, and Intermezzo. Those who already love Rooney will get a chance to look closer at the delicate machinery of the novels, and for those new to her work, delights await!

Reading List:

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Please read Conversations with Friends before the first session.

What to expect from this reading group: A highly conversational and lively discussion with interchange throughout.

Pricing inclusive of sales tax if applicable.

Led by

Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes is Professor and Chair of Literatures in English at Ithaca College. He is the creator and host of the literary podcast Burned by Books. He is also the co-producer and host of Novel Dialogue, the podcast of the Society for Novel Studies. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury. Since 2011, he has been the co-organizer of the New Voices Literary Festival at Ithaca College. He received his PhD from Brown University.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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