The Irish novelist known for nailing Millennial relationship psychosis and speaking up about Palestine told The Guardian this morning that she can no longer sell her novels in the United Kingdom.
This news follows Rooney’s much-publicized support for Palestine Action, a direct action group. In a much-disputed and ongoing legal battle, the group was classified as a terrorist organization in the UK last year.
After Rooney declared that some profits from her books would still go to supporting PA despite the ban, she fell into a legal gray area on British soil. Because under the UK’s Terrorism Act, supporting “terrorist” organizations is illegal—even those whose classification is in dispute.
Rooney’s publisher, Faber, made the call to pull her work from English selves out of evidently valid fear that the author would be arrested if she ever set foot in the country. And in a statement to The Guardian, Rooney elaborated on her predicament.
In July 2025, the direct-action protest group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The following month, I wrote an opinion piece expressing my intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, which is not a proscribed or otherwise prohibited group here in the Republic of Ireland.
As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offense. After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK. I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences.
According to The Irish Times, Rooney’s seismic breakout, Normal People, sold more than a million copies in the UK. So this decision is bound to hurt, both author and readers.
But as ever, we applaud Rooney’s moral clarity, and outspoken-ness about Palestine. Here’s hoping she exits this unhinged intermezzo with more fans and novel fodder.