‘Intermezzo’ Review: What Critics Overlook About Sally Rooney

“Intermezzo” is Sally Rooney’s fourth novel. The book focuses on two brothers grieving the death of their father while navigating their complicated romantic entanglements.

Rooney has been popular with readers since her first book, “Conversations with Friends,” which even became a Hulu show. In the past, she has been criticized for her simple prose, which has evolved quite a bit since her early work. “Intermezzo” is told in the characters’ stream of consciousness, showing her growth as a writer and her ability to tackle more difficult styles of writing.

However, Rooney’s popularity at this point has almost made her immune to actual criticism, at least from legacy media critics. Most critic reviews of “Intermezzo” go on to praise the book endlessly. Guardian contributor Anthony Cummins even wrote of Rooney: “is there a better writer at work right now?” — which feels unfair to all the wonderful indie writers who exist. While Rooney’s latest book is in fact well-written and compelling, it has significant flaws.

‘Intermezzo’ Summary: The Story of Two Grieving Brothers

Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo” follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan, dealing with the aftermath of their father’s death.

Peter is the older brother — in his 30s, working as a lawyer in Dublin. Though on the outside he seems successful and put-together, he’s riddled with turmoil in the days and weeks following his father’s death. He’s torn between two women: Sylvia, his first love who says they can’t be together, and Naomi, a young college student whose bills he’s paying.

Ivan is a 22-year-old competitive chess player. He’s somewhat socially awkward and struggles to connect with people emotionally. He has very few friends and is quite different from his charismatic older brother. In the weeks following his father’s death, he meets Margaret, a woman 13 years older than him, and they begin a secret romance.

Throughout the novel, the two brothers struggle to connect as they grieve their father and figure out how to live this new chapter of life. The novel explores grief, sibling relationships, and the complicated nature of age-gap relationships.

Books Like ‘Intermezzo’

Sally Rooney’s ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’

While it may feel like a cop-out to say Sally Rooney’s prior book is a good comp for “Intermezzo,” Rooney’s work is consistent. She has a clear style of writing, and utilizes similar themes around relationships and sex in all of her work.

Ottessa Moshfegh’s ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation‘

While the plot of this book is nothing like “Intermezzo,” there’s something about the voice and sense of ennui that the main character experiences that is reminiscent of Rooney’s work. Like Ivan and Peter, Moshfegh’s character is a young adult without a sense of purpose.

Audience and Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

“Intermezzo” fits into the category of adult literary fiction. Most likely, it would appeal to readers around the same age as the characters: in their 20s and 30s. Sally Rooney often writes about sex and relationships, and this book is no exception. While it is not a romance novel by any means, it would also appeal to people who like reading about romantic relationship dynamics. The sibling storyline would also appeal to anyone who struggles to connect with their sibling.

Nonetheless, the book doesn’t pigeonhole its readers in any way, and it would appeal to a wide variety of people.

Perspective: Close Third Person/Stream of Consciousness That Isn’t Always Clear

Sally Rooney’s book is primarily written from the perspectives of Ivan and Peter, but in shorter sections throughout, we also get the perspectives of Sylvia and Margaret.

Rooney writes in close third person — specifically in stream of consciousness. The reader is getting each character’s thoughts as they happen. We can also tell the way each character thinks is distinct because Rooney eloquently changes the style and syntax of the prose capturing their thoughts. The stylistic shift, along with descriptive clues at the beginning of each section, usually allow the reader to quickly figure out whose perspective we’re in at all times.

However, every once in a while, particularly when the POV switched to Margaret or Sylvia, I wasn’t always immediately sure whose perspective we were in. While Rooney does a good job at distinguishing the brothers, the other characters’ voices feel a bit muddled/indistinct.

Three Cs: Compelling, Clear, Concise

Editorial Note: We believe these three factors are important for evaluating general writing quality across every aspect of the book. Before you get into further analysis, here’s a quick breakdown to clarify how we’re using these words:

• Compelling: Does the author consistently write in a way that would make most readers emotionally invested in the book’s content?
• Clear: Are most sentences and parts of the book easy enough to read and understand?
• Concise: Are there sections or many sentences that could be cut? Does the book have pacing problems?

Compelling: For Readers of Character-Driven Narratives, But With Some Faltering

The characters’ stories were fairly compelling. Being in so close a POV allows the reader to care more than we would if we were distant.

There were moments when I found my mind wandering a bit. Rooney perhaps gave us too many details and direct thoughts that slowed the story down.

The book also made me feel a mix of emotions for the characters. On the one hand, I empathize with Ivan, as he clearly has difficulty with social situations and interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, he often comes across as callous, quick to cut people off if they make him feel even slightly uncomfortable. This dichotomy, though, feels very much intentional on Rooney’s part.

For Peter, there’s also that same mix of liking and disliking him. As a reader, you can’t help but feel empathy when he struggles to connect with his brother but gets nothing back in return. But at the same time, the way he treats women in the book — particularly Naomi — can sometimes seem a bit uncaring and unaware. He thinks only of himself and how his relationships to those women will affect him.

Overall, though, I found the characters to be compelling and complex, and I was interested in their interpersonal relationships. However, certain plot points and scenes sometimes dragged on a bit longer than they needed to.

Clear: Not Always, Especially at the Beginning

Stream of consciousness writing can sometimes suffer from confusing syntax or unclear wording. Oftentimes, that’s intentional — like in the work of James Joyce, whom Rooney cites as an inspiration. Other times, it’s simply sloppy. In Rooney’s case, though, I didn’t have trouble understanding the sentences or thoughts, and she did a nice job at making us feel like we were in the minds of the characters. I was able to understand the plot, and there were no inconsistencies, typos, or plot holes.

There were, however, a few moments — particularly toward the beginning of the book, before I really caught on to each character’s style of thought — where I wasn’t sure right away whose perspective we were in. I sometimes had to go back and reread to make sure I didn’t miss any clues that would indicate the POV. This confusion almost made me put down the book altogether. But, as a fan of Rooney’s prior work, I trusted that I would eventually get more invested,

As the book went on, I usually caught on pretty quickly as to whose POV we were in. The characters’ voices become more distinct and clear chapter-to-chapter.

Concise: Could Be Shorter

Sitting at 452 pages, “Intermezzo” is certainly a long book. As a whole, though, I think Rooney could have told this story more concisely, in a shorter amount of time. While the stream of consciousness narration was compelling, there are scenes and moments that go on for too long.

For the most part, Rooney’s books are not very plot-heavy. Instead, they’re character-driven, and the characters are compelling enough that you don’t need a ton of plot. However, “Intermezzo” feels a little bit more meandering than Rooney’s previous work. Ivan’s chapters often feel slowed down when the perspective shifts to Margaret. In Peter’s chapters, the writing style is compelling, but his thoughts often don’t lead anywhere or move his story forward very much.

On a sentence-level, Rooney’s writing is excellent. There are no fluffy lines or bloated sentences. However, the pacing of the story throughout could have been picked up significantly.

Character Development: Strong for Some, Weak for Others

The characters in “Intermezzo” are Ivan, Peter, Margaret, Naomi, and Sylvia, with Ivan and Peter as the main characters. Both Ivan and Peter are very well-developed. The stream of consciousness prose allows the reader to get into their heads and understand them fully. We also get to see how both of them interact with others, which gives even more insight into the characters. Ivan is introverted and awkward, finding social situations difficult. On the other hand, Peter is outgoing and able to easily interact with others.

However, I didn’t feel like Peter changed much from the beginning to the end of the story. While his chapters were emotionally complex, he doesn’t seem to learn much from his mistakes. Instead he easily gets everything he wants without much growth.

Meanwhile, the women in the book — Margaret, Naomi, and Sylvia — sometimes feel one-dimensional. We get Margaret and Sylvia’s perspectives in shorter sections, and we never get Naomi’s perspective. As a whole, these three characters feel underdeveloped. Peter is in love with both Sylvia and Naomi, but as a reader, I don’t see enough from their characters to truly understand why. Ivan falls in love with Margaret, and while we see their relationship unfold, I don’t think we get enough from Margaret to understand why she falls for Ivan.

While the characters are all compelling, it would have been nice to understand the women characters more.

‘Intermezzo’ Story: Engaging, But the Ending Felt Too Neat

Overall, “Intermezzo” is an engaging story. I cared about the characters while reading, and I was invested in how things would end for them. The story feels unique and is an interesting exploration of siblings dealing with grief, as well as age-gap relationships.

However, the ending feels too neatly tied together, particularly when it comes to Peter’s story. Peter is in love with two very different women, and his life is in turmoil because of it. (Spoilers ahead) However, rather than making a decision and learning from his mistakes, the two women agree that they can both be with Peter at once. All of his turbulent emotions, then, almost seem pointless because in the end, he gets everything handed to him. While polyamory is certainly a real thing, the way it plays out in “Intermezzo” feels more like Peter’s fantasy, rather than a thoughtful exploration of non-monogamous relationships.

Prose Style: Well-Done Stream of Consciousness

The stream of consciousness prose immediately reminded me of James Joyce or Virginia Woolf’s writing. Rooney’s book even quotes Joyce at one point, which confirms his influence on her work. Overall, Rooney does an excellent job with the prose style in this book. She takes writers like Joyce as an influence but makes the stream of consciousness unique to her own work.

Peter’s sections in particular stand out to me, as they really capture the syntax of someone’s thoughts. For instance, Rooney writes, “Strange feeling of peace that gave him. After her cold angry tears the night before, don’t be dramatic, Peter. Renewal of ordinary discourse: his always eventful personal life, her good sense and dependability, their partnership retrieved.”

The style here shows a very specific way of thinking, Peter’s thoughts come in quickly, showing how he feels and how he understands the world around him. I was impressed by Rooney’s ability to keep the style consistent chapter-to-chapter, embodying the voice and thought pattern of each character.

Dialogue: Realistic, Clear Dialogue, Despite Lack of Quotation Marks

Throughout “Intermezzo,” the dialogue feels very realistic. It meshes well with the prose and is balanced in terms of how much prose vs. dialogue is being used. Rooney is a writer who never uses quotation marks in her work, which is not always easy to pull off. I’ve seen writers try this style where it’s unclear if something is dialogue. However, in Rooney’s work, it’s always very clear when a character is speaking, despite the lack of quotation marks.

Setting: Modern Day Ireland, But It Could Happen Anywhere

“Intermezzo” takes place in modern day Ireland, Dublin and its surrounding suburbs. As a whole, the setting does not play a huge role in the story. We know they’re in Ireland because the names of different cities are mentioned, and the characters talk about riding the train or the bus to see each other in the different towns and cities. We get a general sense of urban and suburban areas, but as a whole, the setting is not discussed too much. It’s just enough to give the reader a realistic sense of where we are, but I didn’t really feel like there was a need to get more in depth about setting for this story.

Rhetoric: Age-Gap Relationships and (Spoiler) Polyamory

As a whole, “Intermezzo” is not making any large political statements, nor is it trying to further any specific rhetoric. “Intermezzo” simply tells the story of two grieving brothers and their messy love lives. If there’s any statement at all being made, it might be one about age-gap relationships.

Both Peter and Ivan are in age-gap relationships. Ivan is seeing a woman significantly older than him, while Peter is seeing a woman significantly younger. While I don’t think Rooney is making any kind of judgment on age-gap relationships one way or another, she is showing the complicated nature of those relationships. Through Peter and Ivan, Rooney shows that while many age-gap relationships are indeed problematic, we can’t judge them at face value. Every relationship has its own story and nuance that should be taken into consideration.

The ending of Rooney’s novel also makes a case for polyamorous relationships. Peter is in love with two women, but for most of the book he doesn’t consider that he can be with both of them. In the end, polyamory is the solution for Peter, Naomi and Sylvia. In some ways, Rooney may be making an argument for polyamorous relationships, in showing how it all works out for the characters.

I think there could have been a little bit more exploration of this topic. We don’t really get to see the characters have that much of a meaningful discussion of how the relationships would work for them and what it would look like for them practically.

Cultural and Political Significance: Literary Zeitgeist

This book was released in the past year and was very much a part of the literary zeitgeist. Sally Rooney is a very popular writer, and her work often gets discussed and digested. However, there are no political views in this book. Once again, it’s simply a story about two brothers, which could appeal to anyone.

Critiquing the Critics: With This Book, Readers are Right and Critics are Wrong

Most critic reviews for “Intermezzo” are glowing. Legacy media critics love Sally Rooney, and they have almost no criticisms of her most recent work. In the past, Rooney has been criticized for the simplicity of her prose (something I actually always liked about Rooney). Since her earlier work, though, we can see that her writing has evolved and grown. Nonetheless, it does not make her immune from criticism. While I agree with many of the critics that this book is well-written and compelling, I do think that most critics are choosing to hop on the Sally Rooney bandwagon rather than actually critique the book. Although “Intermezzo” was for the most part excellent, it did have its flaws, which nearly every critic chose to ignore.

On the other hand, when you look at reader reviews, there is a gap. While many readers did indeed love the book, they also very fairly critiqued its shortcomings. People had opinions on character development, plot development and more.

Book Aesthetic: A Reference to Ivan’s Chess Playing

The American cover for “Intermezzo” is a chess board. Underneath the chess pieces are shadows of people. The cover implies that the characters in this book are chess pieces moving across a board. There are various layers to this cover. For starters, the title “Intermezzo” can refer to both music and chess. In music, an intermezzo is an interlude. In chess, it’s an unexpected move.

Ivan’s character is a chess player, which is clearly referenced in the cover art. The story begins after the death of Peter and Ivan’s father, creating an interlude in their lives. From there, the two brothers must figure out how to continue on. In many ways, their choices could refer to the chess definition of “intermezzo.” Ivan unexpectedly starts a relationship with an older woman, while Peter unexpectedly begins a new life with two women. Both the title and cover art feel pertinent to the story itself.

Reviewer’s Personal Opinion: Enjoyable Book for Fans of Sally Rooney

I quite enjoyed reading this book. While I did think it was too long, I was still invested in the characters and wanted to know how things would turn out for them. Despite not being too plot-heavy, Rooney was still able to keep me interested in the story and character arcs.

Still, this was actually my least favorite of Rooney’s work. While I enjoyed reading “Intermezzo,” I much prefer her earlier works like “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends.” While Rooney does get criticized for her simple prose, I find the simple prose of her earlier books quite refreshing to read.

‘Intermezzo’ Review: Engaging Book, with a Few Flaws

As I said earlier, I enjoyed reading this book. The stream of consciousness prose was very well done, and the characters were compelling. However, the character development for the women in the book feels underdone, and the ending wrapped up too neatly and unrealistically, in my opinion.

Buying and Rental Options

E-Commerce Text and Audio Purchases

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop.org

E-Commerce Audio Only

• Audible

Physical Location Purchase and Rental Options

“Intermezzo” can be purchased anywhere books are sold, like your local bookstore or larger chains like Barnes and Noble. You can also check “Intermezzo” out from your library.

Digital Rental Options

You can borrow the digital version of “Intermezzo” from library apps like Libby.