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A review by megansmith
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I have such mixed feelings on this one but overall i dont think i liked it and im super disappointed in that! Id been looking forward to this for awhile and it just didn’t give what i thought it was gonna give. I dont know how Sally Rooney manages to have both such a distinct style and approach to books but each one seems to be so devisive among her fans.
I could follow what I was reading in her last book but this one was far more confusing to follow. Peter’s section was rouuuugh to get through. Ivan’s I could get through easier but I dreaded anytime we jumped back to Peter. This book was also just slow and LONG, like truly this couldve tied itself up a bit more cleanly and not over 454 pages. I also just couldn’t get over how the women were treated / discussed in this book, idk it wasnt the worst but it felt strange how most interactions were just pivoting to sex and half the time it was at really awkward or inappropriate times. And a lot of the female characters felt so flat, anchored so heavily to their relationships with men. It felt like when we discussed these women outside of their relationships to Ivan and Peter, it was mostly only about: Margaret’s ex-husband, Naomi’s only fans, and Sylvia’s accident (the main portion of that being that she cant have sex anymore). We had pockets of moments outside of these two defining characteristics per woman, but they were rare in comparison. I just found it hard to balance these with two very flawed men, one being an on again / off again self-identifying incel? His views had changed but also he still mentions at once point that’s a part of him and maybe he is an incel? I just found the characters super unlikeable to an extent I couldnt enjoy the story, and for a novel focused on interpersonal relationships, it was hard to get past it.
I do think the buildup to the climax was interesting and the last 100 pages pulled me in more than I had been. But overall this was not my favorite work of Rooney’s.
I could follow what I was reading in her last book but this one was far more confusing to follow. Peter’s section was rouuuugh to get through. Ivan’s I could get through easier but I dreaded anytime we jumped back to Peter. This book was also just slow and LONG, like truly this couldve tied itself up a bit more cleanly and not over 454 pages. I also just couldn’t get over how the women were treated / discussed in this book, idk it wasnt the worst but it felt strange how most interactions were just pivoting to sex and half the time it was at really awkward or inappropriate times. And a lot of the female characters felt so flat, anchored so heavily to their relationships with men. It felt like when we discussed these women outside of their relationships to Ivan and Peter, it was mostly only about: Margaret’s ex-husband, Naomi’s only fans, and Sylvia’s accident (the main portion of that being that she cant have sex anymore). We had pockets of moments outside of these two defining characteristics per woman, but they were rare in comparison. I just found it hard to balance these with two very flawed men, one being an on again / off again self-identifying incel? His views had changed but also he still mentions at once point that’s a part of him and maybe he is an incel? I just found the characters super unlikeable to an extent I couldnt enjoy the story, and for a novel focused on interpersonal relationships, it was hard to get past it.
I do think the buildup to the climax was interesting and the last 100 pages pulled me in more than I had been. But overall this was not my favorite work of Rooney’s.