Sally Rooney’s latest novel, “Intermezzo,” is a story about the pursuit of romantic and familial love in the midst of grief. It is about finding life within loss and comfort during heartache.
The story follows two Irish brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, as they battle the weight of losing their father to cancer. The unfolding turmoil between them is heartbreaking and raw. After growing up with an unstable relationship due to their wide age gap and maturity difference, the brothers are left to decide how to handle their grief, and both go about it in similar ways: turning to love.
32-year-old Peter struggles to choose between two vastly different women, Sylvia and Naomi. Sylvia has been a constant character in his life since college and someone he has been in love with since meeting her. However, a terrible accident leads to their splitting up, even though Peter is still in love with her.
In an effort to move on from Sylvia, Peter begins a relationship with Naomi, a college-aged student who is unfaithful to him throughout the book. Even though Sylvia is arguably better-suited for Peter, Naomi’s presence causes a tense fight for Peter’s affection between the two women.
Both women cause him to question his morals and his beliefs. They lead him to look inward at his pride and his ego by calling out his flaws and wrongdoings. Peter’s actions evoke a sense of injustice because of the way he exploits the women around him.
Peter’s love interests end up providing him with temporary relief from the overwhelming loss of his father. But over time, both lead him to turn to strong drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of having to decide between his lovers.
Throughout the book, the reader also learns about Ivan’s life. The 22-year-old chess prodigy meets Margaret, a woman 14 years older than him, at a chess tournament. The two decide to risk their reputations as skilled chess players and begin seeing each other.
Margaret uses Ivan to recover from her disastrous divorce from her ex-husband, while Ivan views Margaret as a way to open his worldview to genuine love. Even though their relationship is perplexing at times, the two fall into a rhythm of truly loving each other and bringing out the best in one another.
While Peter and Ivan invest in their romantic lives, they are also forced to invest in their relationship with each other. Neither approves of the other in many regards, such as their career choices, family relationships and romantic lives. Throughout the story, arguments arise and physical fights break out, and neither brother knows how to handle it. They must choose to mend their relationship with each other for outside relationships to flourish.
Although Rooney’s ending for her story may leave readers feeling confused and dissatisfied, she genuinely captures how deeply grief affects every relationship it surrounds.
Rooney’s novel is a fresh look at the meaning of love and how it makes life worth living. It is a raw take on grief and affliction in real-world situations. It is a call to reflect on one’s life and decide how to view love.
“Intermezzo” is a novel that will provoke thought, emotion and sympathy and will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.
