Sally Rooney's Books Pulled from UK Over Palestine Stance

Sally Rooney's books are no longer being supplied to UK booksellers, after her publisher Faber determined that current UK counter-terrorism legislation made it legally impossible to pass on her earnings. As BBC News reports, the decision was made in full agreement with Rooney herself, with ebook editions already removed from sale and physical stock in shops no longer being replenished.

The immediate trigger is Rooney's public support for Palestine Action, which the British government proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Variety reports that Rooney wrote an op-ed in the Irish Times in August 2025 expressing her intention to continue supporting the group — a stance that, under UK terrorism law, rendered the fulfilment of her publishing contracts a potential criminal offence.

In a statement cited by The Guardian, Rooney said: "As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence. 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."

Faber's own statement was unambiguous in its framing: "Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer's work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher."

Rooney is one of the most commercially significant literary novelists working today. According to BBC News, she has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK alone — figures drawn from NielsenIQ BookData.

Her fourth novel, Intermezzo, became the fastest-selling book in Ireland in 2024 and an instant New York Times bestseller, following two brothers through grief and complicated relationships in the weeks after their father's death. For LuvemBooks' full assessment of the novel, read our review.

Normal People, her breakout 2018 novel, was adapted into a hit television series that launched the acting careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones — both of whom have since publicly supported Rooney following the UK book ban announcement, according to Variety.

As The Guardian notes, this is the direct consequence of the UK's decision to proscribe Palestine Action — a move that has now produced a situation where a major literary author's entire back catalogue is effectively unavailable to British readers through normal retail channels.

The case is particularly striking because, as RTÉ Entertainment clarifies, Palestine Action is not a proscribed or prohibited group in the Republic of Ireland, where Rooney is based — meaning the legal jeopardy is specific to UK jurisdiction.

Rooney had already taken steps reflecting her convictions prior to this point. Wikipedia notes that in May 2026, it was announced that Intermezzo would be published in Hebrew by November Books, +972 Magazine, and Local Call, publishers she deemed compliant with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

The implications for the relationship between counter-terrorism law and publishing freedom are significant. As JTA reports, Faber cited Rooney's backing for Palestine Action — a group the British government accused of having "orchestrated" disruptive direct actions — as the direct reason it could no longer distribute her work.

NPR reports that Rooney had previously cancelled a planned trip to the UK to collect an award, citing fear of arrest under terrorism legislation — a detail that underscores how acutely the law's reach has already affected her public life in Britain.

Waterstones confirmed to BBC News that Faber had advised there are no restrictions on booksellers retaining existing physical stock, meaning copies currently on shelves may remain there — but no new supply will follow. It is a distinction that will matter less and less as those copies sell through.

For readers who want to understand the novel at the centre of this story before it disappears from UK shelves entirely, our full verdict is available in our review of Intermezzo.