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dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
My very preliminary thoughts are that Sally is really amazing at stringing together a series of seemingly small and simple experiences that together amount to life itself. Nothing more (although it often feels like the end of the world) and nothing less. She's also unmatched in her ability to crawl inside other people's brains and write them for us in a way that feels incredibly internal and also somehow removed.
My only complaint is with her treatment of Naomi - how can she be as integral supposedly to Peter's story as Sylvia or even Ivan but she's never given the full autonomy of a character? She is never shaded in like Sylvia or Margaret never given worries woes priorities or problems of her own. We see her only through Peter's thoughts making her a misogynistic caricature - a cliche of a young girl unloved penniless falls for an older man with money ew. And their relationship is toxic from the start... yeah Naomi is the weak point here.
My very preliminary thoughts are that Sally is really amazing at stringing together a series of seemingly small and simple experiences that together amount to life itself. Nothing more (although it often feels like the end of the world) and nothing less. She's also unmatched in her ability to crawl inside other people's brains and write them for us in a way that feels incredibly internal and also somehow removed.
My only complaint is with her treatment of Naomi - how can she be as integral supposedly to Peter's story as Sylvia or even Ivan but she's never given the full autonomy of a character? She is never shaded in like Sylvia or Margaret never given worries woes priorities or problems of her own. We see her only through Peter's thoughts making her a misogynistic caricature - a cliche of a young girl unloved penniless falls for an older man with money ew. And their relationship is toxic from the start... yeah Naomi is the weak point here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sally Rooney has a gift for writing about interpersonal relationships and the imperfect characters that try to navigate them. I think the quote that best sums up this book is: “The demands of other people do not dissolve; they only multiply.
More and more complex, more difficult. Which is another way, she thinks, of saying: more life, more and more of life.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Car accident
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There is nothing more quintessential Sally Rooney than her book being called “Intermezzo”—an interlude or brief composition—as that’s what Rooney does best: stories about ordinary people during short intervals of their lives.
I have always liked “slice of life” fiction and perhaps that’s what has always drawn me to Rooney’s works. They’re not trying to be some epic tale of woe or romance or adventure. They’re human, they’re impassive at times but still multidimensional, they’re extraordinary in the ordinary. They’re passionate but not in a way that feels overdone. They’re full of love and desire, but that’s not the entire point.
More than ever before, “Intermezzo” brings to the forefront the complexities, intricacies, simplicities and extremities of existence, this time following the reflective but not parallel lives of brothers Peter and Ivan whose father has recently died.
Though separated by a decade and differing personalities, they both look for the same things in a partner. They don’t get along, they don’t see eye to eye and yet—they care for people in similar ways. Ivan, a stellar chess player and the younger of the two, wants to make Margaret happy and to feel safe despite her being older than his brother. Peter wants to take care of both Sylvia and Naomi, one the love of his life and the other his current girlfriend. Ivan is an overthinker, humble in his overly capable abilities, funny in simple ways, if a little socially awkward. While Peter is an addict but often the more adept and sensical of the two. They clash in their feelings toward each other and each other’s romantic relationships as they make their way through their grief, not always acknowledging it in healthy ways. It’s messy and real. You’ll root for one brother over the other, and the next moment desperately wish for resolve. Family is complicated, and even more so when you bring outside romantic interests into the equation. Such is life.
While long winded in its paragraphs and the lengthiest of Rooney’s books to date, “Intermezzo” is essential reading if you are looking for a novel about the interpersonal complexities of the average millennial amidst the backdrop of modern day Ireland. Or really if you’re looking for any book that takes a deep dive into sibling relationships and how they change and take shape over time.
I feel like I have a lot more to say about this one but I’m unsure how to express it in a way that makes sense, so I’ll just leave you with some favorite lines:
“Peter naturally unable to be thirsty on main, he has a career to think about.” (Rooney is so funny and I think people forget that since her books are supposed to be serious and melancholic)
“But say if you take the example of a teacher, they go into work every day and like, teach children to read. The school isn't making any profit, obviously, because it's free to go there. But I think we all agree, the children should learn to read, so we better pay someone to teach them. Since that person needs to eat, and so on. If we organise everything in view of profit, we get things happening in the economy that make no sense. Like in this example, no one has a direct profit motive for teaching children, but the whole economy will collapse if people can't read. You get the same problem with infrastructure, and all kinds of things.”
“You know, life can be sad. It’s no good pretending to be happy all the time.”
“They were both embarrassed, he thinks, but happy at the same time, and there was a pleasant feeling of foolishness between them that made them want to laugh even though nothing was funny.”
“And what if life is just a collection of essentially unrelated experiences? Why does one thing have to follow meaningfully from another?”
“… mutual attraction - which even makes sense from the evolutionary perspective - is simply the strongest reason to do anything, overriding all the contrary principles and making them fall away into nothing.”
“—life, which is now the most painful ordeal conceivable—“
“Go on in any case living.”
God, I love Sally Rooney!!!
I have always liked “slice of life” fiction and perhaps that’s what has always drawn me to Rooney’s works. They’re not trying to be some epic tale of woe or romance or adventure. They’re human, they’re impassive at times but still multidimensional, they’re extraordinary in the ordinary. They’re passionate but not in a way that feels overdone. They’re full of love and desire, but that’s not the entire point.
More than ever before, “Intermezzo” brings to the forefront the complexities, intricacies, simplicities and extremities of existence, this time following the reflective but not parallel lives of brothers Peter and Ivan whose father has recently died.
Though separated by a decade and differing personalities, they both look for the same things in a partner. They don’t get along, they don’t see eye to eye and yet—they care for people in similar ways. Ivan, a stellar chess player and the younger of the two, wants to make Margaret happy and to feel safe despite her being older than his brother. Peter wants to take care of both Sylvia and Naomi, one the love of his life and the other his current girlfriend. Ivan is an overthinker, humble in his overly capable abilities, funny in simple ways, if a little socially awkward. While Peter is an addict but often the more adept and sensical of the two. They clash in their feelings toward each other and each other’s romantic relationships as they make their way through their grief, not always acknowledging it in healthy ways. It’s messy and real. You’ll root for one brother over the other, and the next moment desperately wish for resolve. Family is complicated, and even more so when you bring outside romantic interests into the equation. Such is life.
While long winded in its paragraphs and the lengthiest of Rooney’s books to date, “Intermezzo” is essential reading if you are looking for a novel about the interpersonal complexities of the average millennial amidst the backdrop of modern day Ireland. Or really if you’re looking for any book that takes a deep dive into sibling relationships and how they change and take shape over time.
I feel like I have a lot more to say about this one but I’m unsure how to express it in a way that makes sense, so I’ll just leave you with some favorite lines:
“Peter naturally unable to be thirsty on main, he has a career to think about.” (Rooney is so funny and I think people forget that since her books are supposed to be serious and melancholic)
“But say if you take the example of a teacher, they go into work every day and like, teach children to read. The school isn't making any profit, obviously, because it's free to go there. But I think we all agree, the children should learn to read, so we better pay someone to teach them. Since that person needs to eat, and so on. If we organise everything in view of profit, we get things happening in the economy that make no sense. Like in this example, no one has a direct profit motive for teaching children, but the whole economy will collapse if people can't read. You get the same problem with infrastructure, and all kinds of things.”
“You know, life can be sad. It’s no good pretending to be happy all the time.”
“They were both embarrassed, he thinks, but happy at the same time, and there was a pleasant feeling of foolishness between them that made them want to laugh even though nothing was funny.”
“And what if life is just a collection of essentially unrelated experiences? Why does one thing have to follow meaningfully from another?”
“… mutual attraction - which even makes sense from the evolutionary perspective - is simply the strongest reason to do anything, overriding all the contrary principles and making them fall away into nothing.”
“—life, which is now the most painful ordeal conceivable—“
“Go on in any case living.”
God, I love Sally Rooney!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Figuratively and literally an emotional rollercoaster - literally because of the way the book plays out, figuratively because I struggle with Rooney's writing consistently! Sometimes, I can't tell if she writes insufferable characters really well; or if she just writes insufferably. Sometimes, I can't tell if the way men and women interact in her novels is a feminist critique of how men view women; or if she hates women/is dealing with a lot of internalised misogyny.
Midway through I wasn't completely sure I was going to finish it but I came around towards the end and am glad I did! Her characters, invariably a little insufferable but ultimately just people trying their best, are also sometimes really relatable though and I was so close to tears at the end of this??
Midway through I wasn't completely sure I was going to finish it but I came around towards the end and am glad I did! Her characters, invariably a little insufferable but ultimately just people trying their best, are also sometimes really relatable though and I was so close to tears at the end of this??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts