Sally Rooney, prominent author of Normal People, Conversations with Friends, and Beautiful World, Where Are You? has just released her newest novel, and it stirred up some contention on the internet. Intermezzo was one of the most highly anticipated books for those who enjoy literary fiction, heart-breaking love stories, and realistic characters. Rooney has a cult fanbase who would literally read her grocery lists, yet some critics have been disappointed by Rooney’s output in the past few years. Perhaps it was due to Beautiful World, Where Are You? not living up to their standards, but many were worried for this new release. So, was Intermezzo as intermediate as many critics were worried it would be?
Intermezzo is a novel about two brothers, Peter and Ivan, weeks after the death of their father. They are grieving in their own ways—Ivan was closer to their father than Peter was—yet both of their stories involve romance and searching for companionship. With a ten-year difference between the brothers, Peter in his 30s and Ivan in his 20s as a fresh college-graduate, their lives couldn’t be any more separated. But, in the wake of their loss, they are trying to kindle a brotherly relationship that wasn’t there from the start.
Peter, the older brother, is a barrister living in Dublin. He is juggling two love interests—one, Sylvia, his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him after a car crash left her with chronic pain, and the other, Naomi, his 20-something, edgy and borderline-homeless girlfriend. His chapters are written in a clipped, stream-of-consciousness prose, which many have complained makes his state of mind confusing. It’s hard to connect with a character when you only get fragmented speech from them; however, Peter’s chapters are all the more intimate due to this type of language. You see his thought processes, and you are able to connect with, and sometimes pity, him.
Ivan, on the other hand, just graduated from university pursuing a degree in physics. He grew up as a more shy, geeky child than Peter, even taking periods of non-verbalism by choice. But during this time, he discovered a love for chess. He would stay home playing games and reading books about chess strategies, and his chess score was incredibly high. However, he would claim he reached his peak in high school. When we first meet Ivan, in chapters with more traditional prose and a flowing narrative, he is playing a simultaneous exhibition at an arts center outside of Dublin. He wins all ten games, and wows and connects with Margaret, a director at the arts center.
Margaret is in her mid-thirties, closer to Peter’s age than to Ivan’s, and is well aware of their age gap and the oddities in their relationship. However, Margaret just got out of an eight-year-long marriage, and she and Ivan have more in common than she would’ve expected. Their relationship is full of confusion and blurred lines, which makes for the reality that we expect from a Sally Rooney novel.
Despite many unfounded concerns, Sally Rooney did it again. She wrote a novel full of characters that feel and act like real people, and did it all with the most beautiful and fitting language. This book poses an introspective look into the complexities of love—through the dichotomy of two grieving brothers and in discovering various types of romantic relationships. With every novel, Rooney tries something new, and never fails to keep her fans at the edge of their seats.
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