The second story is called Colour and Light, and it follows Aidan, a young man who works as a hotel receptionist and meets Pauline, a mysterious woman who invites him to watch a firework display with her. Aidan is attracted to Pauline, but he also feels confused and frustrated by her mixed signals and erratic behavior.
Both stories are told in the first-person point of view, from the perspective of Sukie and Aidan respectively. Both stories are set in Ireland, where Sally Rooney is from. Both stories deal with themes such as love, loneliness, uncertainty, communication and identity.
Plot Summary
In Mr Salary, Sukie narrates how she met Nathan when she was 15 years old. He was a friend of her uncle’s and he offered to help her with her schoolwork. Sukie’s mother had died when she was young, and her father was abusive and neglectful.
Nathan became her mentor and protector, and eventually invited her to live with him when she turned 18. Sukie accepted his offer, but she never knew what their relationship was exactly. They slept in separate rooms, but they also shared intimate moments and secrets. They never talked about their feelings or their future.
The story begins with Sukie returning to Ireland from Boston, where she was studying on a scholarship that Nathan had arranged for her. She comes back because her father is dying of cancer in the hospital. She stays with Nathan in his apartment, where they resume their ambiguous relationship.
Sukie feels grateful to Nathan for everything he has done for her, but she also feels guilty for not being able to love him the way he deserves. She wonders if he loves her as a daughter or as a lover. She wonders if she loves him at all.
The story ends with Sukie visiting her father in the hospital for the last time. She tells him that she loves him, even though she doesn’t mean it. She then goes back to Nathan’s apartment, where they have sex for the first time. Sukie feels nothing but emptiness.
In Colour and Light, Aidan narrates how he met Pauline at his workplace. He works as a receptionist at a hotel that hosts weddings and other events. Pauline is a guest at one of the weddings, and she catches Aidan’s eye with her red dress and blonde hair.
