This book examines Sally Rooney’s literary universe to trace the impact of globalisation and socio-economic upheavals on Irish society and personal relationships. Through rigorous scholarly contributions, this volume delves in to Rooney’s novels and stories, uncovering how digital culture, religious legacies, and neoliberal values shape characters’ mental health, sense of belonging, and interdependence. Chapters explore themes such as cultural programming, care ethics, gender norms, intersectional identities, and the Künstlerroman tradition. By situating Rooney’s works against Ireland’s post-Celtic Tiger landscape, the book highlights new perspectives on vulnerability, trauma, and resilience, forging a vital dialogue about contemporary health and care.

Elsa Adán Hernández is Lecturer in the Department of English and German Studies at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. She holds a PhD on Sarah Waters’ neo-Victorian fiction, and she specialises in contemporary British and Irish literatures. Her research focuses on gender, feminist, and queer studies within contemporary cultural parameters.

Angelos Bollas is Learning Experience Designer at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and an Independent Scholar of Culture and Society. He previously authored Contemporary Irish Masculinities: Male Homosociality in Sally Rooney's Novels (2024), Sexualised Governmentalities: Critical Perspectives on Homosexism (2024), Fashionable Queerness: Straight Appropriation of Queer Fashion (2024), Designing Curricula for Student Autonomy and Engagement: Connecting Notional Hours, Blended, and Self-Regulated Learning (2026), and Voices of Resistance: Music, Femicide, and Gender Justice in Spain and Greece (2026). He edited HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture and Society (2024) and The Routledge Companion to Sally Rooney (2025).