Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

BOOK REVIEW –

Readers of Rooney’s fourth novel, Intermezzo, are at risk of developing the false impression that it is, at its heart, a romance as it is touted with love as its central theme.

It does contain the romantic relationships of two brothers: Peter, the former a lawyer in his early 30s who uses work, drugs, and alcohol to avoid his emotions; and Ivan, a chess champion in his early 20s with braces and no romantic experience.

Peter has lingering feelings for his ex-girlfriend Sylvia, who suffered an accident that resulted in their breakup, and he is now in a new relationship with a 23-year-old student and camgirl named Naomi.

Ivan falls for Margaret, a 36-year-old divorcée, at a chess tournament where she is the events coordinator; the age difference matters not to him as he is in the throes of first love.

The relationships seem to mirror the intertwining romantic relationships present in Rooney’s first three novels, yet the central relationship in this book is not romantic – it is familial.

Intermezzo moves into new territory for Rooney, blending her characteristic emotional depth with a fresh focus on a different type of relationship.

While previous works that have followed groups of friends, this novel is the first to turn its attention to siblings who struggle to understand who they are to each other after their father’s death.

Another element missing in Rooney’s other novels is the violence in this one.

The brothers get into major fights; in the haze of his rage Peter threatens to kill his brother.

This is a novel about the choices we do or do not make in relationships.

Although the novel is a step forward thematically and stylistically, Intermezzo shows off what Rooney does best and that is writing complex, resonant characters and confronting the intricacies of human connection through exacting, lyrical prose.

Exploring morality, beauty and grief, she delivers an insightful examination of the enduring challenges of intimacy – romantic and familial.

Rooney is great at taking really messed up relationship dynamics and exploring them up, down and inside out.

She proves she is still a great wordsmith.

One slight negative – I was disappointed by how stereotypical Ivan’s implied neurodivergence was.

If Rooney was aware of this, instead of fixing the problem and diving into some research for Ivan’s narrative, she focused on what is so obviously her favourite character – Margaret.

Julie Chessman