Sally Rooney rose to fame in 2020 after the popular BBC adaptation of her second novel Normal People. It seemed exactly what a population living through the lockdown needed: a raw, intimate depiction of love. Rooney’s latest offering Intermezzo certainly lives up to its high expectations.
Intermezzo follows the story of two brothers: Ivan is 22, unlucky in love, and an aspiring professional chess player, whilst Peter is 32, non-committal, and a successful lawyer.
Neither brother knows how to handle the recent death of their father. Peter is emotionally involved with his college ex-girlfriend, Sylvia, who, injured in a car accident, is unable to have sex. Simultaneously, he is sleeping with student Naomi, who is passionate, broke, and vulnerable. Meanwhile, Ivan has found love with recently divorced 36-year-old Margaret, a relationship that both feel should be kept a secret. Ivan thinks Peter a bully, and Peter thinks Ivan a wimp.
The multi-perspective narration of Intermezzo means that every character is placed in a “morally grey” area. Perhaps this is what makes Rooney’s writing so compelling—her characters are fundamentally believable. Intermezzo ends movingly, emphasising loss as something eased by intimacy—platonic or romantic—with those around you.
Sally Rooney, asked about the value of her work, said that ‘people need to feel that life has meaning’. This is the exact feeling I am left with after Intermezzo, very possibly her best novel to date.
Book cover of “Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney