Book Review: Intermezzo— By: Sally Rooney

Brief Synopsis

According to classicalmusic.com, the term "intermezzo" means "a short orchestral piece, often heard in between acts of an opera." The Italian word "intermezzo" means "in the middle," as does the term "intermedio" that predated it. Needless to say, I was shocked to learn it was not a chess term after reading the first few chapters. Intermezzo follows two brothers who are about 13 years apart in age, one being 22 and the other 35. The book begins at the funeral of their father and follows the unfolding of their very separate lives as they navigate different relationships while trying to build one of their own between each other despite their opposing personalities, interests, and way of life.

Intermezzo by: Sally Rooney book cover, source: Amazon.ca

Personal review

I think Sally Rooney is incredibly talented. She writes stories that feature many complex relationships and the unfolding, building, and intimate details of said complex relationships. The two brothers, Ivan and Peter, whom we follow in this story, are incredibly different; they each have unique strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons. However, throughout the story, Sally connects the two in a surprising way, which I almost felt came as a unique bittersweet twist at the end of the novel.

Rooney separates the book into three parts. In the first part, we are introduced to the main as well as subsequent characters whose story we will be following in the second and third parts. After the first part, I felt as though Rooney was clearly building one character up to be preferable to the reader, and the other was clearly to be the antihero. However, Rooney's inexplicable ability to turn the story around and force the reader to see all sides of a complex character really shines through in the second part of the book. I thought it would be incredibly hard to relate to or even see the positive qualities that Peter, the older brother, could possess; however, surprisingly, after finishing the second part of the book, I was shocked to find that he was the one I felt I could relate to more and really see all sides of his character, both positive and negative.

Sally Rooney is amazing at character development. She killed it in Normal People and continues to provide an impressive character study in Intermezzo despite the vastly different storyline and character types. I am excited to read more of her books as I continue to meet the complex characters she is so adept at creating.

Favourite quote

The demands of other people do not dissolve; they only multiply.

Pg. 304.

My rating: 7/10