The idea for Irish author Sally Rooney's fourth novel, Intermezzo (Faber & Faber, 2024), came during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Rooney observed her husband playing online chess, and she herself became fascinated with the "mathematical elegance" of the game, which serves as a metaphor for life in the novel. The book follows two brothers navigating their relationships following their father's death. In chess, an "intermezzo" is an unexpected "in-between move" that forces the opponent to respond to the threat. This concept reflects the novel's structure as the characters continuously respond to unforeseen circumstances.
Peter and Ivan Koubek are two brothers who recently lost their father. Peter, the eldest, is a human-rights attorney; Ivan is a former chess prodigy. Both men are in romantic relationships with significant age gaps. Peter dates a woman nine years his junior, and Ivan is seeing a woman 14 years his senior. At the same time, Peter remains entangled with his ex-girlfriend, Sylvia. In dealing with their relationships and the fallout from their father's death shortly before the start of the novel, the brothers are forced to confront their past and contend with the things that made them who they are.
When published, Rooney's novel was met with largely positive reviews, as has become the norm with her work. Faber & Faber embarked on a substantial advertising campaign, and the novel was widely read and became a New York Times bestseller shortly after its publication date. In its glowing review of the novel, The Guardian questioned if there was a "better writer" than Rooney and suggested the novel was "utterly perfect."
