Intermezzo (novel)

Intermezzo

First edition cover
Author	Sally Rooney
Audio read by	Éanna Hardwicke
Language	English
Publisher	Faber & Faber
Publication date	24 September 2024
Publication place	London
Media type	Print (hardback), ebook, audiobook
Pages	448 pp.
ISBN	978-0-571-36546-3 (First edition hardback)
Dewey Decimal	823/.92
LC Class	PR6118.O59 I58 2024

Intermezzo is the fourth novel by Irish author Sally Rooney, published by Faber & Faber on 24 September 2024. Set in Dublin and rural Ireland, the novel follows two brothers in the aftermath of their father's death: Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy who begins a relationship with Margaret, a 36-year-old arts program director, and Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer navigating complicated relationships with both his younger girlfriend Naomi and his ex-girlfriend Sylvia. The novel explores themes of grief, age-gap relationships, sibling dynamics, and power structures in romantic relationships.

The book marked a departure from Rooney's previous works through its focus on male protagonists and fraternal relationships. Rooney developed the story from an initial scene of a chess exhibition at an arts center, drawing inspiration from her experience watching chess tutorials during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The title "Intermezzo" references both musical interludes and chess terminology.

Released with Faber's "biggest trade campaign ever", the novel received largely positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised its treatment of grief and family relationships. It became the fastest-selling book in Ireland in 2024. While some critics found aspects of the novel's tone precious or its gender dynamics problematic, most viewed it as a successful evolution of Rooney's literary style, with several considering it her most mature and philosophically ambitious work to date.

Plot

The novel follows Ivan and Peter Koubek, two brothers living in Dublin, in the weeks after the death of their father. Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy whose once-promising career has stagnated, meets Margaret Kearns, a 36-year-old arts program director, during a chess exhibition at a local arts center. Their interaction develops into a passionate but discreet relationship, despite Margaret's concerns about their age difference.

Meanwhile, Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer, is in a relationship with Naomi, a 23-year-old college student who supplements her income by selling explicit photos online and frequently relies on Peter for financial support. However, Peter still harbors unresolved feelings for his close friend and ex-girlfriend Sylvia, a 32-year-old English professor, whose chronic pain following a car accident ended their relationship. Peter attempts to reintegrate himself into Naomi's social life but feels out of place among her friends. When he learns that Naomi has been arrested for squatting and evicted, he secures her release and invites her to stay at his apartment while she searches for a new home.

As Peter and Ivan meet for dinner, Ivan reveals his relationship with Margaret. Peter expresses disgust at their age gap, angering Ivan, who cuts off all communication. Sylvia confronts Peter over his hypocrisy, pointing out his relationship with Naomi. This prompts Peter to attempt reconciliation with Ivan, but he discovers he has been blocked. Meanwhile, Ivan and Margaret grow closer, professing their love for each other. She shares her past experiences, including a toxic marriage to Ricky, an alcoholic whose possessive behavior drove them apart. Margaret's mother sided with Ricky during their divorce, a betrayal that deeply affected her; Ivan sympathizes with Margaret.

Peter and Sylvia briefly consider rekindling their relationship, but Sylvia's chronic pain complicates physical intimacy. When Peter expresses guilt over his role in Sylvia's life, she rebukes him for using her to cope with his grief over his father's death. As Peter continues to care for Sylvia during a severe episode of her chronic pain, they briefly resume their sexual relationship, which leads Peter to believe Sylvia wants to reunite, and decides to end his relationship with Naomi. However, Sylvia rejects Peter's attempt at reconciliation, accusing him of using her as an exit strategy and an excuse to escape his fear of being vulnerable in a new relationship. Embarrassed and chastened, Peter returns to Naomi, who has been staying at his father's house in Kildare after her breakup.

While visiting the Kildare house with his dog, Alexei, Ivan meets Naomi, who reveals Peter's positive opinion of him despite their estrangement. Naomi also discovers that Peter has not spoken about her to Ivan, deepening her concerns about their relationship. When Peter arrives unexpectedly while Naomi is away, he and Ivan have a heated argument about their father's reliance on Peter as a protector and Peter's history of bullying Ivan. The argument escalates into a physical altercation, leaving Ivan bloodied.

Seeking solace, Ivan confides in Margaret, revealing his struggles with grief and his rift with Peter. Moved by Ivan's vulnerability, Margaret declares her need for his love, and Ivan reassures her of his commitment to their relationship. Meanwhile, Peter returns to his apartment, where Sylvia and Naomi confront him about his behavior. Sylvia apologizes for misleading Peter into believing she wanted to reconcile romantically, while Naomi accuses him of sexual exploitation. Sylvia proposes an unconventional arrangement, suggesting that the three of them maintain connections in a way that accommodates their respective needs. Peter agrees, settling into a routine of domestic life with Naomi while spending evenings with Sylvia.

When Ivan shows promise of reviving his chess career, Peter attends one of his tournaments, where he meets Margaret. She intercedes on Peter's behalf, facilitating a reconciliation between the brothers. Ivan and Peter affirm their mutual respect and agree to reunite for Christmas.

Background

The initial inspiration for Intermezzo came from Rooney imagining a chess simultaneous exhibition at a small-town arts center in western Ireland, where a woman working at the center would observe a young chess player. After writing this scene, Rooney developed the character of Ivan, but found herself "stuck" until she realized Ivan had an older brother, Peter. This realization provided the novel's central relationship and convinced her to proceed with the book.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Rooney's husband began playing online chess, and though she did not play herself, she watched chess tutorials with him. This experience influenced her appreciation of chess as "almost like an art form" and helped her understand "the mathematical elegance" of brilliant moves, which informed the novel's chess themes.

The novel's title is a play on terminology from both music and chess, where "intermezzo" refers to an interlude in music and an unexpected move in chess. Rooney wrote the book after moving from Dublin to the countryside near Castlebar, where she grew up. This relocation parallels the novel's setting, which moves between Dublin and a fictional rural western Irish town.

The book represents a departure from Rooney's previous novels in its focus on male protagonists. While she had written male characters before, notably Connell in Normal People, this was her first time writing about relationships between men. She noted that she had "never witnessed a conversation between two men in which a woman wasn't present", making this perspective a conscious step outside her social reality.

Rooney has said that, contrary to common perception, the novel is not autobiographical. Despite drawing on settings familiar from her life, such as Dublin and western Ireland, she maintains that she does not consciously draw on personal emotional experiences when writing about her characters. The novel was influenced by James Joyce's Ulysses, with Rooney describing Intermezzo as partly emerging from her reading of that book and her sense that it "demanded a response".

Themes

A central theme in Intermezzo is grief and its effect on family relationships. The novel explores how the death of a father affects two brothers differently, examining the ways grief can divide and unite family members. This exploration of loss is intertwined with questions of memory and the physical absence of loved ones, while also serving as a catalyst for personal change and development.

The novel examines generational differences and age gaps, particularly through its portrayal of cross-generational relationships. It explores how age differences affect both romantic and familial relationships, while also addressing broader questions about aging, mortality, and the cultural divisions between millennials and Generation Z. These generational themes are closely tied to the novel's exploration of social judgment and cultural expectations.

Power dynamics and love emerge as interconnected themes. The novel examines how relationships are shaped by social conventions, market forces, and systems of power. This extends to questions of gender roles and economic influences on romantic relationships, while also addressing the gap between ideological beliefs and personal behavior. The sibling relationship at the novel's center serves as a lens through which these power dynamics are explored, particularly how family bonds both constrain and enable personal growth.

Style

Intermezzo marks a significant stylistic departure from Rooney's previous work. Her earlier novels, particularly Beautiful World, Where Are You, are characterized by clean, dialogue-driven narratives with detached omniscient narration, but Intermezzo uses varied narrative techniques and distinct voices for its three main characters: Peter's sections feature staccato, fragmented sentences reminiscent of James Joyce's Leopold Bloom; Ivan's narration has a cooler, more humorous tone; and Margaret's passages are slower and more deliberately paced. Critics noted that Peter's stream-of-consciousness passages particularly represent a stylistic experiment for Rooney, with shortened sentences and fewer verbs creating a choppier but rhythmically consistent flow reminiscent of writers like Eimear McBride and Samuel Beckett.

While the novel retains Rooney's practice of omitting quotation marks and approximating modernist techniques, it is her most stylistically varied work. Critics noted it shows "less ruthless restraint" than her previous books, allowing for greater emotional and poetic expression. Rooney's characteristic style, often "mischaracterized" as "blank" or "flat", maintains its televisual qualities in Intermezzo, with seamless sentences, snappy dialogue, and chapters that conclude like complete episodes.

Reception

Intermezzo received largely positive reviews. Per Book Marks, a website that aggregates critical reviews for literature from mainstream critics, the book received an overall "Positive" consensus rating based on 35 independent third-party assessments, including 16 "rave", 8 "positive", 8 "mixed", and 3 "pan" reviews.

Alexandra Harris in The Guardian called the novel "an accomplished continuation of the writing that made Rooney a global phenomenon" while noting it was "more philosophically ambitious, stylistically varied, disturbing at times and altogether stranger". Laura Miller in Slate argued that while it was "sadder and less of a page-turner than her three previous novels", it represented "deeper territory for Rooney". Jo Hamya in The Independent saw the novel as Rooney's artistic breakthrough, celebrating how it "reflects a depth and purity of thought attained after three novels' worth of introspection" and rating it 5 stars.

Critics particularly praised the novel's treatment of grief and family relationships. Lillian Fishman in The Washington Post noted that "mourning, it turns out, is a natural subject for Rooney", while observing that "everything about this novel—its style, theme, length—shows less ruthless restraint than Rooney's previous books". Amy Weiss-Meyer in The Atlantic highlighted how the characters were "newly alert to the weight of years" and "as attuned to regret as to anticipation". Dwight Garner in The New York Times was especially enthusiastic, writing that "Rooney's writing about love hits as hard as it does because she is especially adept at evoking loneliness, for which love is a salve."

The novel's portrayal of sibling relationships received particular attention. Johanna Thomas-Corr in The Sunday Times praised how "the explosive arguments between Peter and Ivan, in which one knee-jerk judgment breaks the fall of another, are among the most masterly scenes she has written." B.D. McClay in The Wall Street Journal noted that the brothers are "aware that they play some sort of mysterious central role in another person's life and development, whether they want to or not." Cal Revely-Calder in The Telegraph observed that "Peter, whose chapters supposedly parallel Ivan's but soon accrue greater force, is Rooney's finest portrait of a tortured man since Connell Waldron."

Some critics expressed reservations about certain aspects of the novel. James Marriott in The Times argued that "the novel's insistence on a mood of ethical and intellectual refinement can feel claustrophobic and precious." Marianela D'Aprile in Jacobin criticized the novel's gender dynamics, arguing that "all the women need from the men is love—or rather, all the women need is love from men." Harris took issue with the portrayal of Sylvia: "we find little counter to the notion that Sylvia is a broken sex provider who cannot offer him fulfillment."

The novel's political and philosophical dimensions were also discussed. In Vulture, Andrea Long Chu analyzed how the novel suggests that "love is real precisely because it is a product, one created by social conventions, by market forces, by systems of violence." Claire Lowdon in The Spectator called the book "simple, heart-warming moral tales full of sex", while noting that it "left me feeling I might have a stab at being a better person". In New Statesman, Lola Seaton wrote that while "Intermezzo lacks the taut self-assurance of Conversations with Friends and Normal People", it represents "an honourable, tenacious and not unsuccessful attempt to go beyond them."

Publication

Intermezzo was published by Faber & Faber on 24 September 2024, partnering with more than 40 bookshops in what it called its "biggest trade campaign ever". In the United States, 140 bookstores hosted release parties for the novel, a scale of promotion typically reserved for young adult blockbuster series.

The novel achieved strong initial sales, becoming the fastest-selling book in Ireland in 2024, with 11,885 copies sold in its first five days. Several Irish bookshops opened early to meet anticipated demand. The book also performed well in the United Kingdom, selling 44,233 copies in the same period.