Sally Rooney Quotes

“It is about four people, first among them Alice Kelleher, a clear stand-in for the author.”

“The novel focuses on the lives of four friends: Jude St. Francis, a disabled genius with a mysterious past; Willem Ragnarsson, a kind, handsome man who aspires to be an actor; Malcolm Irvine, an architect working at a prestigious firm.”

“Jean-Baptiste “JB” Marion, a quick-witted painter who wants to make a name in the art world. The book follows their relationships changing under the influence of success, wealth, addiction, and pride.”

“The novel’s main focus is the enigmatic lawyer, Jude. He suffers from a damaged spine which leaves him with a limp and excruciating pain in his legs that comes and goes.”

“Unbeknownst to his friends, he also frequently self-harms, one such bout of cutting leading to Willem’s needing to take him to Andy Contractor, Jude’s doctor and trusted friend. It is clear that he suffers from debilitating mental trauma from his childhood.”

“Despite this apparent closeness with his friends, Jude finds himself unable to divulge either detail of his past or current state of mind to his roommate. Nonetheless, he thrives in his law practice, and develops a close parent-child relationship with his former professor, Harold, and his wife Julia, which results in the pair adopting him when Jude turns thirty.”

“Meanwhile, the rest of the group finds success in their respective fields, with Willem becoming a star of theater and then film. JB finds success as an artist but also becomes addicted to crystal meth.”

“The group stages an intervention, where JB mocks Jude by doing a crude imitation of his limp. In spite of successful treatment, and a great deal of apologizing, Jude finds it impossible to forgive JB. Willem refuses to forgive him too, causing the group to fragment, with only Malcolm remaining friends with all four members.”

“It becomes clear that Jude was sexually traumatized at a very young age, making it difficult for him to engage in romantic relationships. His friends and loved ones begin questioning this isolation as he enters his forties, with Willem especially being baffled with regard to Jude’s sexuality.”

“As his loneliness grows more intense, he enters an abusive relationship with fashion executive Caleb, who is disgusted by Jude’s limp and his increasing use of a wheelchair. Jude finally breaks off the relationship after Caleb rapes him.”