Sally Rooney is known for her contemplative, sometimes frustratingly quiet characters. Ivan and Peter, the brothers in Rooney’s fourth and longest novel, “Intermezzo,” released this past September, keep with this trend as we watch their tumultuous relationship after the death of their father.
Peter, the eldest of the two, works as a big shot lawyer in Dublin. He’s dating 23-year-old Naomi, while struggling with complicated feelings for his longtime close friend and ex-girlfriend Sylvia. Ivan, around 10 years Peter’s minor, has just graduated college and becomes enamored with the 36-year-old Margaret at one of his professional chess matches.
The two brothers got along when they were young despite their age difference, but grew further apart as they matured. Ivan can be socially inept and awkward, which brushes up against Peter’s cool, apathetic demeanor.
Each chapter switches between Peter and Ivan’s almost entirely separate but mirrored lives. Ivan has never experienced love until meeting Margaret, and Peter feels overwhelmed by his love for both women, each vastly different from each other.
Rooney’s incredible writing is on display in her juxtaposition of the brothers. Inside Peter’s head, she’s scattered – barely finishing sentences, repeating past dialogue the reader can immediately recognize, and of course having no time to include quotation marks (a signature in Rooney’s oeuvre). Ivan’s chapters, on the other hand, are slow, pensive, and filled with Ivan’s uncomfortable outspokenness.
An “intermezzo” is an unexpected move in chess that forces an opponent to respond – similar to the way a loss can force us to feel things we may have been pushing down. Every character in this book is excruciatingly realistic in their portrayal of grief and its effect on their relationships. The battle between Ivan’s intense jealousy which comes out as hatred for his older brother, and Peter’s unstable, intense hatred for himself but deep care for others in his life creates a tragic but incredibly authentic and relatable dynamic between the two.
Beyond Ivan and Pete, Rooney also gives insight into the three women (Sylvia, Naomi and Margaret) at the center of their lives.
She gives a closer look to Margaret specifically, who, prior to meeting Ivan, was in a marriage that ended due to her husband’s alcoholism. Over the course of the book, Margaret struggles with the guilt she feels being with someone significantly younger than her, the self-consciousness over what people would think of her if they knew, the urge to put herself first for once and the true and genuine love she feels for Ivan.
Margaret’s tender care for Ivan through his journey of grief is also seen in Sylvia and Naomi’s joint love of Peter, despite his clearly declining mental state. After being in an almost-fatal car accident, Sylvia experiences chronic pain which led to her ending her relationship with Peter several years earlier. The two still meet for coffee to discuss everything in their lives – problems at work, philosophical questions, or Peter’s failed attempts at being there for Ivan.
While she does not provide him the same mental stimulation as Sylvia, Peter’s love for Naomi is very real as well. Her youth and sense of carefreeness fill Peter’s need for physical reassurance in a way that Sylvia cannot. These two women, in their opposite but equally important ways, bring Peter back down to earth.
Rooney’s novels are often criticized for her character’s comically poor communication skills. At the same time, her books often resonate with so many because this poor communication, especially in times where we feel pain, is something we can all see in ourselves.
At its core, “Intermezzo” is about love, in all its unconventional, difficult forms. Despite the sadness and loss Peter and Ivan both feel, it’s undeniably matched with the love they feel as well – for their partners, their father, and each other – which is possibly what makes it all so difficult.
Rooney’s swift, unorthodox writing kept me hooked for almost 500 pages, and her careful character development continues to be beautifully honest and real. “Intermezzo,” is not something to miss if you are looking for a book this winter.
This story was written by Annie Goode. She can be reached at [email protected].
