Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney: Conventionality is for Suckers

Early in Sally Rooney's new novel,Intermezzo, a character who at that point, we're not sure whether we like or not, has the following thought: "Plain, unappealing people are by no means exempt from the experience of strong passion." That seemed unnecessarily mean -- like, obvious to the point that it goes without saying. Which made me immediately think, "Wow, I'm really going to hate this book. But bad books are by no means exempt from strong passions about them." 😜

So it was with no small degree of trepidation that I continued on with my third foray into the Rooneyverse. Having really liked Normal People and intensely disliked Beautiful World, Where Are You, this novel would be my personal Sally Rooney tiebreaker. I'd put it off for quite a while, but when the end of the year best-of lists started coming out, and everyone from Barack Obama to Rebecca Schinksy at Book Riot (as an Honorable Mention) included it on their lists, I decided to give it a go.

The verdict?

Good Rooney 2, Bad Rooney 1. I loved this! I can't believe I just typed that, but I'm doing so with a clear conscience. Intermezzo is really, really good. It's wise, it's exceedingly well-written, and it's just downright entertaining.

The story is about two Irish brothers, Ivan 22, a chess player, and Peter, 32, a successful lawyer. Both are mourning the recent death of their father. Both become involved in exceedingly complicated love connections, and these relationships also complicate the already complicated relationship with each other. Yes, if you like a whole bunch of friction, tension, and conflict (and complication!), this is the novel for you. It's no accident, I'm sure, the characters have "Russian" names, including a dog named Alexei -- this has all the existential crisis vibes of the Russian masters.

Intermezzo is successful, I think, because of how Rooney deals with the notion of convention. In this novel, conventionality is in the eye of the beholder, and the point is that no one should care what the beholder thinks. Ivan is dating a 36-year-old woman who is separated but not divorced from her alcoholic husband and Peter is dating a much younger woman, in addition to still carrying the torch for an ex-girlfriend who had a horrific accident. These relationships shouldn't work, notably because everyone in proximity to them looks down their noses at them. But will they work? Why will they work or not? That's why we continue to read, to see how Rooney continues to juggle all this juicy conflict.

Rooney is often judged harshly because of her popularity -- if it's popular, it can't be good, some say. But this is, actually. Really, really good.