Irish bookshops are helping readers in Britain and elsewhere obtain novels by Sally Rooney after her publisher halted U.K. supplies because of complications arising from the author's support for a pro-Palestinian group.
asserted
publisher → help → group
Publisher Faber said it could no longer distribute Ms. Rooney's books in the United Kingdom because it could not transfer U.K. earnings to the author after she announced plans to donate those proceeds to Palestine Action, which is banned in Britain.
uncertain
which → say → Britain
But Jenni Doherty, owner of Little Acorns Bookstore in Londonderry, has continued stocking Rooney's bestselling books through suppliers in the Republic of Ireland.
asserted
Doherty → continue → Ireland
"We're not banned from selling the books.
asserted
We → ban → books
We can still have access to the books," Ms. Doherty, 55, told AFP, surrounded by Ms. Rooney titles such as "Normal People", "Intermezzo" and "Beautiful World, Where Are You".
asserted
You → have → People
Londonderry, known as Derry to republicans within Northern Ireland, is part of the United Kingdom but lies next to the border with EU member Ireland.
asserted
Londonderry → know → Ireland
Its position allows Ms. Doherty to order stock through Irish distributors before sending books to customers around the world, including in Britain.
"To sell a writer's work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher," Faber said, as it announced its decision in mid-October.
asserted
it → allow → October
The decision, made in agreement with Rooney, followed the author's declaration that she would donate her earnings to the pro-Palestinian direct action group.
asserted
she → make → group
'New customers'
Palestine Action was banned by the U.K. government in July 2025 under anti-terrorism laws, but is not prohibited in Ireland, where Ms. Rooney lives.
asserted
Rooney → ban → Ireland
Its proscription, which places it on the same list as Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Palestinian militants Hamas, makes it illegal in Britain to belong to, support or finance the group.
asserted
it → place → group
Faber said it remained Ms. Rooney's publisher and would continue selling her work outside Britain.
asserted
it → say → Britain
The books themselves have not been banned, and copies already held by British retailers can remain on sale.
asserted
copies → ban → sale
But shops cannot replenish them through Faber's normal U.K. distribution network.
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shops → replenish → network
The supply restrictions have now drawn new business to Ms. Doherty's shop.
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restrictions → draw → shop
"I've had a lot of new customers who've never been in before," she said, adding that the controversy had brought Ms. Rooney's work to a broader range of readers.
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controversy → have → readers
Before, the books were placed on the general shelves in alphabetical order.
asserted
books → place → order
Now they are displayed prominently on the front counter, often sparking "honest, personal conversations" with customers, said Ms. Doherty.
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Doherty → display → customers
She has also received inquiries from British booksellers looking for alternative suppliers.
asserted
She → receive → suppliers
"You don't have to read it if you don't want it.
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you → have → it
You don't have to buy it if you don't want it," she said.
asserted
she → have → it
The boom has extended across the Irish border, with Kenny's Bookshop in Galway reporting a tenfold increase in sales of Ms. Rooney's novels following Faber's decision.
asserted
Bookshop → extend → decision
Ms. Doherty said the dispute resonated strongly in a city shaped by civil-rights campaigns and Northern Ireland's decades-long Troubles conflict.
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dispute → say → campaigns
The controversy also reminded her of Ireland's history of literary censorship, which affected famous writers including Edna O'Brien, Samuel Beckett and John McGahern.
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which → remind → O'Brien
"It's as if we're going backwards rather than forwards," she said.
asserted
she → go → ?
But restrictions often pique readers' curiosity and could introduce them to Rooney and other Irish writers, ms. Doherty said.
uncertain
Doherty → pique → Rooney
"A banned book is a bought book," she said.
asserted
she → ban → ?
"It just attracts a whole new attention."
asserted
It → attract → attention
Palestine Action's proscription is being challenged by co-founder Huda Ammori, with Britain's Supreme Court due to hear an appeal on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Court → challenge → Wednesday
Ms. Rooney's novels have sold millions of copies internationally, gaining a cult following for their observations of modern relationships before the BBC television adaptation of "Normal People" brought her wider fame.
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adaptation → sell → fame
"She captures a sense of the age right now, which is really, really unique to her.
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which → capture → her
People do love her books and her writing," said Vicki Shenkin Kerr, owner of Bard Books in London, which stopped selling Ms. Rooney's books following Faber's decision.
asserted
which → love → decision
Its remaining stock sold out within a "few days", and the shop decided not to replenish it through imports.
asserted
shop → remain → imports
"We are kind of like Faber; we wouldn't feel comfortable selling a book where the author isn't getting the royalties," Mr. Kerr said.
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Kerr → feel → royalties
"It does feel like a silencing."
asserted
It → feel → silencing
The Aporia
