Sally Rooney's withdrawal of her books from the UK sparks demand for 'book smuggling' between Ireland and Britain

British readers shut out by the Irish novelist are already looking for ways to get her books across the Irish Sea. Sally Rooney's decision to pull her work from the UK has turned her into a target for some of the country's sharpest pens. Author Lionel Shriver has branded her a 'posturing ingrate'. Columnist Camilla Long has gone further, comparing Rooney to a direct-action protest group.

Long wrote that Rooney 'wields her books like Palestine Action does hammers'.

Shriver, an Orange Prize winner who lived in Britain for many years, savaged Rooney's stance.