Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney has had massive success with all of her books, but this is the first one I've read. My only prior experience was watching (some of) Normal People, which I found hard to watch because of people being horrible to each other in it, especially at the younger ages. (I recognised it as very good though.)

It took me awhile to get into Intermezzo. At about a third through, I was considering giving up because it was solid sadness and loneliness. When I was two thirds in it was hard to put down. We were dog sitting last week and there was a little dog actually climbing onto me, trying to stop me from reading, but I kept at it.

The main characters are two brothers - Peter and Ivan Koubek, both living in Dublin (Incidentally, it was nice to see Dublin depicted in the book). Peter is a barrister and Ivan has just completed his studies and is a serious chess player. The story begins at their father's funeral. For various reasons the brothers aren't close, and so the early chapters are them grieving in more or less isolation.

Then there are the women in their lives - a solitary and thoughtful woman called Margaret, who is more than a decade older than Ivan, and doubts their relationship can endure because of the age gap; Sylvia, an academic with chronic pain who used to be in a relationship with Peter; and Naomi who has a kind of complex relationship with Peter that initially seems like he is just paying her for sex. Peter's life is messier than Ivan's. Also Ivan is possibly autistic and in the chapters from his perspective we get a lot of detail on how he navigates situations that are easier for others.

The relationship between Ivan and Margaret is quite sweet. For the tough, early part of the book, wanting to see their story is what kept me reading. Peter is really suffering, and Rooney brings us inside his head (the biggest strength of the book is how intimately it connects the reader with the characters) and it is a rough ride. I don't know how I would have responded if the book was only about him. I doubt I would have finished it.

Ultimately, I got a better understanding of Peter, and how he had gotten to the place he was at - struggling not just because of the loss of his dad. I wanted to see how he would find a way forward.

It all came together very well, in my experience. But I do appreciate that this book wouldn't be for everyone.