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emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Quotes I liked:
Because his father, with whom he was never particularly close, has died in his sixties after five years of cancer treatment. An eventuality, once expected, so long delayed that he began to think it would never come, until it did. Peter somehow inexcusably unprepared for the anticipated event. Somehow suddenly head of a family which has at the same time ceased to exist.
Because his father, with whom he was never particularly close, has died in his sixties after five years of cancer treatment. An eventuality, once expected, so long delayed that he began to think it would never come, until it did. Peter somehow inexcusably unprepared for the anticipated event. Somehow suddenly head of a family which has at the same time ceased to exist.
You can drive yourself crazy thinking about different things you could have done in the past. But sometimes I think, actually, I didn't have that much power over my life anyway. I mean, I couldn't give myself a new personality out of nothing. And things just kind of happened to me.
Thought rises calmly to the surface of his mind: I wish I was dead. Same as everyone sometimes surely. Idea occurs, that is. Remembering something embarrassing you did years ago and abruptly you think: that's it, I'm going to kill myself. Except in his case, the embarrassing thing is his life.
But it's difficult, when you've been through certain things, and people in your life don't necessarily believe you. Or they just don't want to know.
To think of her in love: bizarre, and somehow sad.
Yes, because he thought of death as an event, something that would happen and then be over. And indeed, when it came to be over, there was relief, there was a certain freedom with that, to be free of the anxiety of waiting. In the months since, Ivan has embraced this sense of freedom, he can see that now. He has made impulsive decisions, he has fallen in love, his life has been transformed, in an uncontrolled rush of energy and feeling. To live, he has needed to live, to overcome the terrible event, yes, it was needed. But now that the event has come and gone, the funeral, the various rituals, only the loss remains, which can never be recuperated. The event is over, the event has been overcome, and yet the loss is only beginning. Every day, it grows deeper, more and more is forgotten, less, and less really known for certain. And nothing will ever bring his father back from the realm of memory into the reassuringly concrete world of material fact, tangible, and specific fact: and how, how is it possible to accept this, or even to understand what it means?
Shaking his head he seems to hear himself saying aloud: I feel like maybe I still don't accept it. The idea that my dad is gone. I don't really get how it could be the case, if you see what I mean.
I think I do, she says.
Like he just sort of exited from time, and we all have to keep going, within time. Do you know what I mean?
Quietly she says: In a way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
My favorite Sally Rooney to date. She beautifully captures the messy business of life and human relationships, with characters that are complex, flawed, and real.
Loved the themes of societal norms, pressure to conform and fear of other people's perceptions, age gaps and polyamory, grief and mental health, family dysfunction and strained relationships. There was a lot going on but everything was explored enough to satisfy.
Ivan was such a sweet, neurodivergent coded character--far from perfect but I loved him instantly. Peter took a bit more time/effort to connect with but he got to me eventually.
The audiobook was perfectly narrated.
Loved the themes of societal norms, pressure to conform and fear of other people's perceptions, age gaps and polyamory, grief and mental health, family dysfunction and strained relationships. There was a lot going on but everything was explored enough to satisfy.
Ivan was such a sweet, neurodivergent coded character--far from perfect but I loved him instantly. Peter took a bit more time/effort to connect with but he got to me eventually.
The audiobook was perfectly narrated.
"No one is perfect. Sometimes you need people to be perfect and they can’t be and you hate them forever for not being even though it isn’t their fault and it’s not yours either. You just needed something they didn’t have in them to give you. And then in other people’s lives you do the same thing, you’re the person who lets everyone down, who fails to make anything better, and you hate yourself so much you wish you were dead."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Infidelity, Sexism
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol
Minor: Violence, Medical trauma, Car accident
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
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
“The event is over, the event has been overcome, and yet the loss is only beginning.”
Intermezzo is the first Sally Rooney book that I have ever read, so I came in with slightly elevated expectations based on the high acclaim achieved in her earlier works.
Rooney’s attention to detail when drawing the reader into the emotions of the protagonists is so interesting to experience. In reading each point of view, my emotions, beliefs and thoughts became seemlessly enmeshed with those of the characters. The Koubek brothers (Peter and Ivan) have gone through the event of losing their father, but that is not where the story ends. Such as in life, the living must go on and in that continuance, come to terms with this grief.
The Koubek grief and shame and anger and depression so easily paralleled my own experiences and that speaks to how well Rooney is able to tap into the human condition. Though none of these feelings or circumstances are unique, she is able to crack them open and allow us all to take a deeper look. To see the other side, realise just as you are done to you equally do unto others, and sit with that as you decide what type of person your actions make you (and them).
For all the complexity and beauty and depth of Rooney’s insight on the relationship between the brothers, as well as their relationships in their separate lives, I found the ending rather rushed. I loved the ending, but while the rest of the book felt like a cinematic experience, the ending felt like a rapid attempt to tie everything up in a near bow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Cancer, Sexism
dark
reflective
sad
tense
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief