"Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney is a superstar- an author who has quickly become a cultural high art celebrity. The Taylor Swift of young and ascending female fiction writers. She has carved out a spectacular critical and commercial reputation in an amazingly short time frame. Her first three novels- Normal People, Conversations with Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You have been recognised almost universally on Best Books of the Year lists and were instant best sellers. Normal People was a television phenomena. I enjoyed all of her first three efforts- thinking they were wonderfully crafted with fascinating characters. I particularly appreciated young Irish men and women leading sensual lives- having great sex- a welcome departure from the repressive Church dominated Ireland portrayed in works of earlier generations of great Irish writers. Rooney’s most recent work was released in September of 2024 and I downloaded it almost immediately. I was genuinely looking forward to Ms Rooney’s latest foray into culture, relationships and human angst.
Intermezzo exceeded my expectations. It is the author’s most mature, developed and polished work. The characters are multidimensional and are broader than the 20 somethings who populated Normal People and Conversations with Friends. The book is soulful, bold, captivating and brilliant. It is a deep dive into complicated and dark emotional terrain. The main characters are flawed, complex, narcissistic, eccentric, selfish, but also idealistic, ambitious and sensitive. The relationships are messy and go beyond narrow societal stereotypes. There are unpredictable pressures and challenging opportunities for the characters. Issues of age, grief, disability, substance abuse and jealousy leap off the pages. There are scenes of intense intimacy, sensuality, desire, strength and rage. All of the primary characters are intelligent and almost too self aware. Rooney presents familiar fiction themes of family, friendships and romance in unconventional ways. The writing is absolutely beautiful.
The lead characters are Peter and Ivan, two brothers who have just buried their father- a death that casts a spell over the entire narrative. Peter is 32, a winner, a human rights lawyer and a man on the make in modern Dublin. Articulate, smooth, surfacely confident and a friend to all! Ivan is 22, a chess prodigy, a quasi and poorly dressed geek who still wears braces. Ivan is intellectually confident, but emotionally insecure and socially inept. Their mother Christine divorced their father 15 years previous and the relationships with her are rather artificial and muddled, although she has her moments as the story evolves into sibling conflict, discord and drama. Peter has TWO intense relationships with females. Sylvia, a professor, was his serious s girlfriend in college and law school- a couple seemingly on the path to the altar. Sylvia was partially incapacitated six years ago in a serious accident and her disability prevents her from engaging in sexual relations or bearing children. The marital plans were derailed by the accident, but Peter and Sylvia see each other regularly and maintain an undeniable emotional bond and connection. Sylvia is wisdom personified and even Ivan says she was “a rock in our family.” Peter’s current love interest is Naomi, a 22 year old college whirlwind- bright, lively, unpredictable and hot. Also broke! Peter’s struggle with managing his feelings in these relationships is a key component of the book. Ivan falls into a surprise and touching romantic relationship with Margaret, a 36 year old married but separated arts event planner. Margaret’s husband is a bad alcoholic. Her marital status, combined with the age differential between the female and male partners, makes this a “challenging” relationship even in the new, modern and hip Ireland.
Rooney is an independent feminist writer and she predictably creates intriguing portraits of the female leads here. Margaret, Sylvia and Naomi are very different people, but they all have depth, strong personalities and intellectual firepower. No surprises there. BUT, Rooney made a clear choice here- Peter and Ivan are the featured players and her ability to enter into the male psyche is astounding and a little scary. A tour de force.
Her stylistic writing choice is a barrage of sustained internal thought monologues- unpunctuated stream of consciousness paragraphs capturing the thoughts of Peter, Ivan and to a lesser extent Margaret. The dialogue from Sylvia and Naomi is nestled into the internal dialogues of Peter and Ivan, important contributors to their intense self examination. It works although purists may object to Rooney’s complete abandonment of quotation marks in character dialogue and her irregular utilisation of commas or semi colons. It is rather unconventional but her prose is so lyrical, moving, deep and magical that the reader quickly accommodates to the program. I think she read fellow Irish woman’s Ann Burns Milkman classic when it came to the decision to toss quotation marks into the dustbin.
The book is ultimately a beautiful reflection and thought piece on sibling relationships and the complexity of romantic couplings. It is a page turner. The good news is that I genuinely learned to admire and like all the characters in this book. No evildoers here. They are flawed and very human- frequently bad at communication, but decent at heart. I often reflect on how many times I have finished and enjoyed great works of literature and said to myself- “Interesting” or “provocative" but then concluded “I really don’t like any of these people!” Not here, I would grab an opportunity to meet Sylvia, Naomi, Margaret, Ivan and Peter in a heartbeat during my next visit to Ireland and would be honoured to break bread with Sally Rooney. I would pour her a glass of Dona Amalia and pepper her with questions. Smart lady- great writer. I think Intermezzo will quiet the standard and predictable writing world backlash against writers who the fraternity feels have experienced too much fame and success too soon. Way to go Sally.
