A review by jessdekkerreads
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

4.5

REVIEW - Intermezzo by Sally Rooney 

Thank you @fsg for sending me an #advancedreaderscopy - out 9/24 

 

Zwischenzug also known as “intermezzo” in Italian and “in-between move” in English. - is an unexpected move [in Chess] that poses a severe threat and forces an intermediate response. 

 

As with life, we observe Rooney’s characters expect their lives to move in a specific direction, however, something unexpected presents itself, forcing them to choose another path and we see the effects play out in very different ways in each of their lives; the grief over the life they had always wanted or the person they thought they would become. 

 

With Peter and Ivan, it’s the loss of their father, their estranged brotherhood, their complex romantic relationships; with Margaret, it’s her previous relationship and how that affects her family and societal expectations felt in her mid-30s; with Sylvia it’s a tragic accident which leaves her with lifelong chronic pain and the realization that others now view her differently while she longs for them to remember her as she was before. 

 

The heart of this novel is the strained brotherhood between Peter and Ivan, and the misunderstandings and resentment that occur within, but underneath all of that, a deep love and admiration for one another that remains. 

 

THEMES/QUESTIONS EXPLORED: 

 

-Age gap relationships, desire and pleasure derived from said relationships, the questioning of the morality of said relationships and how we are perceived by others 

 

-Aging - the cruelty of time, purpose and existence; the collecting of experiences - not everyone needs to have meaning - “the trapping of ordinary life” - what constitutes a “meaningful life” 

 

-Loneliness, aloneness, solitude 

 

-societal expectations or norms,do we conform to those norms or push back? especially when they disrupt the happiness within the relationship. 

 

-Grief - Grief of a past life, a past relationship; realizing you are growing into a new person, one your lost loved one would never get to know - How do we experience our own grief parallel to someone else? 

 

-God & faith - what is God to you? Is God beauty, art & music? 

 

 

ROONEY’S WRITING: 

 

Rooney’s writing, this book, feels both bold and mature. Our main characters, Peter & Ivan have very distinct voices, Peter’s being a bit unexpected as far as Rooney’s characters go, it takes you a while to get into his stream-of-consciousness, clipped sentences, but you find your groove with it; whereas, Ivan’s voice there’s more structure to it; and you find yourself respecting the transformative nature and maturity of Rooney’s writing. 

 

As with a game of chess, Rooney wants you to take your time with the text, and I promise, you’ll be rewarded in the end if you do as I’m still thinking about that ending. 

 

 

THE STORY: 

 

 

In Intermezzo we follow two brothers after the death of their father. Peter a 30-something, successful lawyer, caught in the middle of two very different relationships, and Ivan, a 20-something, chess genius who is pursuing a relationship with an older woman. 

 

PS: in case it wasn’t clear, I loved it 🤍