Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney is also considered by many as one of the best female authors of the 21st century. We cannot deny that the number of her published books is much less than some of her colleagues on this list. Still, her works are, without a doubt, very influential and critical to the world's literary industry.

Best known for the fiction story "Normal People" (released in 2018), Sally Rooney tends to write incredibly grounded novels, revolving around regular people with regular and daily-life problems.

Some of our readers might think such introductions are pretty generic and vague. We guess you are thinking: "Yes, many authors write books about daily problems. So what's the deal with this author?" Well, what makes Sally Rooney so different is that her stories often shed light on complex relationships between families and friends, exploring such complicatedness in vivid detail. Her stories can be heart-wrenching at one point and heart-warming at another. Regardless of the book you choose, the author will definitely take her readers on emotional roller coasters!

Since most of her characters are intelligent and ready to do in-depth self-analysis, all of them are well aware that some of their relationships are toxic and will not give them the happy endings they deserve. Such understandings are on par with the trend of contemporary fiction, which leans more into analytical and investigative plotlines these days.

Born: 1991

Notable works: Conversations with Friends, Normal People, Two Stories