Intermezzo is the fourth book written by Irish author Sally Rooney. It was published by Faber & Faber on September 24, 2024. The story takes place in Dublin and rural Ireland and follows two brothers after their father’s death. Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy, begins a relationship with Margaret, a 36-year-old arts program director. Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer, deals with complicated relationships with his younger girlfriend, Naomi, and his ex-girlfriend, Sylvia. The book explores themes such as grief, relationships between people of different ages, how brothers interact, and power in romantic relationships.
This novel is different from Rooney’s earlier works because it focuses on male characters and the relationship between brothers. Rooney created the story from a scene at a chess exhibition at an arts center, inspired by her experience watching chess tutorials during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The title Intermezzo refers to both short musical breaks and terms used in chess. The book was released with Faber & Faber’s largest marketing campaign ever. Critics generally praised the book’s portrayal of grief and family relationships. It became the fastest-selling book in Ireland in 2024. Some critics found parts of the book’s tone too delicate or had concerns about how gender roles were shown, but most considered it a successful new direction in Rooney’s writing, with many calling it her most thoughtful and mature work yet.
Plot
The novel follows Ivan and Peter Koubek, two brothers living in Dublin, during the weeks after their father’s death. Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess player who once had a bright future but has not made progress recently, meets Margaret Kearns, a 36-year-old arts program director, during a chess exhibition at a local arts center. They begin a romantic relationship, but Margaret is worried about the difference in their ages.
Meanwhile, Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer, is in a relationship with Naomi, a 23-year-old college student who earns money by selling photos online and often depends on Peter financially. Peter still has feelings for Sylvia, a 32-year-old English professor and his former girlfriend, who ended their relationship because of her long-term pain from a car accident. Peter tries to join Naomi’s social group but feels uncomfortable. When Naomi is arrested for living in a place without permission and is forced to leave, Peter helps her get out of jail and lets her stay at his apartment while she finds a new place to live.
At dinner, Ivan tells Peter about his relationship with Margaret. Peter is upset about the age difference, which makes Ivan angry, and Ivan stops talking to Peter. Sylvia criticizes Peter for being unfair, pointing out that he is in a relationship with Naomi. Peter tries to fix things with Ivan, but Ivan has blocked him. Meanwhile, Ivan and Margaret grow closer and express their love for each other. Margaret shares stories about her past, including a difficult marriage to Ricky, an alcoholic who acted possessively. Margaret’s mother supported Ricky during their divorce, which hurt her deeply. Ivan understands her pain and supports her.
Peter and Sylvia briefly consider getting back together, but Sylvia’s pain makes physical closeness difficult. When Peter feels guilty about how he has treated Sylvia, she tells him he has used her to deal with his grief over his father’s death. As Peter helps Sylvia during a painful episode, they briefly resume their relationship, which makes Peter think Sylvia wants to get back together. Peter ends his relationship with Naomi but is rejected by Sylvia, who accuses him of using her as an escape from being vulnerable in a new relationship. Embarrassed, Peter tries to return to Naomi, who has been staying at his father’s house in Kildare.
While visiting the Kildare house with his dog, Alexei, Ivan meets Naomi. She tells him that Peter still thinks highly of him, even though they are not speaking. Naomi also learns that Peter has not told Ivan about her, which makes her worry about their relationship. When Peter arrives unexpectedly while Naomi is away, he and Ivan argue about their father’s reliance on Peter and Peter’s past behavior toward Ivan. The argument turns into a physical fight, leaving Ivan injured.
Feeling sad, Ivan shares his grief and problems with Peter with Margaret. Moved by Ivan’s honesty, Margaret tells him she needs his love, and Ivan promises to stay committed to their relationship. Meanwhile, Peter returns home, where Sylvia and Naomi confront him. Sylvia apologizes for making Peter think she wanted to get back together, while Naomi accuses him of treating her unfairly. Sylvia suggests an unusual way for all three of them to stay connected based on their needs. Peter agrees, and he starts living with Naomi while spending evenings with Sylvia.
When Ivan shows signs of improving in chess, Peter attends one of his tournaments, where he meets Margaret. She helps fix the conflict between the brothers. Ivan and Peter agree to respect each other and plan to reunite for Christmas.
Background
The idea for Intermezzo began when Rooney imagined a place where many chess games are played at the same time in a small town in western Ireland. A woman who works at the center watches a young chess player. After writing this scene, Rooney created the character of Ivan but felt stuck until she added Ivan’s older brother, Peter. This helped her develop the main relationship in the book.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Rooney’s husband started playing chess online. Though she did not play herself, she watched chess lessons with him. This helped her see chess as something like an art form and understand the beauty of clever moves, which influenced the book’s chess themes.
The novel’s title comes from terms used in both music and chess. In music, intermezzo means a short part between longer sections. In chess, it refers to a surprising move. Rooney wrote the book after moving from Dublin to a rural area near Castlebar, where she grew up. This move is similar to the novel’s setting, which switches between Dublin and a fictional town in western Ireland.
This book is different from Rooney’s earlier works because it focuses on male characters. Though she wrote male characters before, like Connell in Normal People, this was her first time writing about relationships between men. She said she had never seen men talk without a woman being present, so this was a new experience for her.
Rooney said the book is not based on her own life. Even though she uses places she knows, like Dublin and western Ireland, she does not use her own feelings when writing about her characters. The book was influenced by James Joyce’s Ulysses. Rooney said Intermezzo partly came from reading Ulysses and her feeling that it needed a response.
Themes
The main idea in Intermezzo is how grief affects family relationships. The story shows how the death of a father influences two brothers in different ways, highlighting how sadness can create distance or bring family members closer. The story also looks at how loss connects to memory, the feeling of missing loved ones, and how grief can lead to personal change and growth.
The book also discusses differences between generations and age gaps, especially through relationships between older and younger people. It shows how age differences impact both romantic and family relationships. It also raises questions about growing older, facing death, and the differences between older and younger generations, such as millennials and Generation Z. These topics are linked to the story's focus on how society judges people and the expectations placed on individuals.
Another key theme is the connection between power and love. The story explores how relationships are influenced by social rules, economic factors, and systems of power. It also looks at how gender roles and money affect romantic relationships, as well as the gap between what people believe and how they act. The central relationship between the two brothers helps show how power works in families, including how family bonds can both limit and help people grow.
Style
Intermezzo shows a big change in writing style compared to Rooney's earlier books. Her previous novels, like Beautiful World, Where Are You, use clear, dialogue-focused stories with a narrator who stays distant and knows everything. However, Intermezzo uses different storytelling methods and gives each of its three main characters a unique voice. Peter's parts have short, broken sentences similar to those in James Joyce's Leopold Bloom. Ivan's sections have a calmer, funnier tone. Margaret's parts move more slowly and are carefully planned. Critics pointed out that Peter's stream-of-consciousness writing is a new style for Rooney. His sentences are shorter and use fewer verbs, creating a bumpy but steady rhythm like writers Eimear McBride and Samuel Beckett.
The book still follows Rooney's habit of not using quotation marks and using modernist techniques. However, it is her most varied work in style. Critics said it has "less strict control" than her earlier books, allowing more emotion and poetic expression. Rooney's usual style, often wrongly described as "empty" or "bland," still shows its clear, episode-like qualities in Intermezzo. The sentences flow smoothly, the dialogue is sharp, and each chapter ends like a complete scene.
Publication
Faber & Faber released the book Intermezzo on September 24, 2024, working with more than 40 bookshops as part of what the company called its largest sales effort. In the United States, 140 bookstores held special events to celebrate the novel's release, a level of promotion usually seen for popular books aimed at teenagers.
The book sold quickly, becoming the fastest-selling book in Ireland in 2024, with 11,885 copies sold in the first five days. Some Irish bookshops opened earlier than usual to meet customer demand. In the United Kingdom, the book sold 44,233 copies during the same time period.
Reception
Intermezzo received mostly positive reviews from critics.
In The Guardian, Alexandra Harris described Intermezzo as a successful follow-up to the work that made Rooney famous, noting it was "more thoughtful and complex, with different writing styles, and sometimes unsettling or unusual." In Slate, Laura Miller wrote that while the book was "sadder and less exciting to read than Rooney's earlier novels," it explored "deeper ideas for Rooney." In The Independent, author Jo Hamya called it Rooney's greatest artistic achievement, saying it "shows a deep and pure way of thinking after three novels" and gave it five stars.
Critics especially praised how the book handled grief and family relationships. In The Washington Post, Lillian Fishman wrote that "mourning is a natural subject for Rooney," and that "everything about this novel—its style, theme, length—feels less strict than Rooney's earlier books." In The Atlantic, Amy Weiss-Meyer said the characters "are more aware of the weight of time" and "feel regret as much as they feel hope." In The New York Times, Dwight Garner praised Rooney's writing about love, saying it "feels powerful because she is especially good at showing loneliness, which love helps to ease."
The book's portrayal of sibling relationships was also highlighted. In The Sunday Times, Johanna Thomas-Corr wrote that "the intense arguments between Peter and Ivan, where one person's quick judgment helps another avoid failure, are among the best scenes Rooney has written." In The Wall Street Journal, B. D. McClay noted that the brothers "realize they have an important, mysterious role in someone else's life, whether they want it or not." In The Telegraph, Cal Revely-Calder said "Peter, whose chapters seem to match Ivan's but grow stronger, is Rooney's best example of a troubled man since her earlier character, Connell Waldron."
Some critics had concerns about certain parts of the book. In The Times, James Marriott wrote that "the book's focus on a refined and intellectual mood can feel too narrow and overly refined." In Jacobin, Marianela D'Aprile criticized the book's treatment of gender, writing that "the women only want love from the men." Harris also mentioned she had issues with the character Sylvia, saying "there is little to challenge the idea that Sylvia is a broken person who cannot provide fulfillment."
The book's political and philosophical ideas were also discussed. In Vulture, Andrea Long Chu wrote that the novel suggests "love is real because it is created by social rules, by money, and by systems of harm." In The Spectator, Claire Lowdon called the book "simple, warm stories full of love," adding that it "made me feel I could try to be a better person." In New Statesman, Lola Seaton wrote that while Intermezzo "does not have the confidence of Rooney's earlier books," it "shows a strong and honest effort to go beyond them."
According to Literary Hub, in December 2024, the book appeared on 20 different "Best Books of 2024" lists. In 2025, it won the Sky Arts Award for literature.