Last updated on January 15th, 2026 at 08:51 pm
Irish writer Sally Rooney’s latest novel,Intermezzo, continues her exploration of personal relationships within the context of contemporary socio-political struggles, a hallmark of her previous works like Normal People and Conversations with Friends.
Her novel Normal People was adopted in a 2020 TV series by the BBC with higher ratings.
Set in a post-funeral, grief-laden atmosphere, Intermezzo delves into the emotional intricacies of two brothers, Ivan and Peter, and their relationships with the people around them. Rooney’s signature blend of romantic, intellectual, and philosophical exploration persists, though the novel introduces a fresh stylistic approach, making it more complex and ambitious than her earlier works.
In Intermezzo, Sally Rooney’s critique of capitalism and exploration of class dynamics are central to the novel’s moral and intellectual landscape.
Through the contrasting characters of Darren, Ivan, and Peter, Rooney delves into the dehumanizing effects of capitalism and the ways in which intellectualism and ethical living serve as forms of resistance.
Table of Contents
1. Intermezzo plot summary
The novel opens shortly after the father’s funeral. Peter, back in Dublin, resumes his affair with Naomi (casual sex, financial support from him) while haunted by Sylvia’s presence at the funeral.
He medicates heavily to sleep and function at work. Ivan, grieving quietly, attends a chess simultaneous exhibition at Margaret’s arts center in rural Ireland.
After the event, they connect over drinks; despite the 14–15-year age gap, they begin an intense romantic and sexual relationship. Ivan falls deeply in love, finding in Margaret emotional warmth he’s lacked.
The brothers’ relationship is strained—Peter views Ivan as odd and vulnerable, patronizingly trying to “protect” him (e.g., suspecting Margaret of exploiting Ivan). Ivan resents Peter’s polished life and sees him as emotionally distant. They rarely communicate openly.
Peter’s Arc: Peter’s life unravels. His pill dependency worsens; he experiences blackouts, professional strain, and emotional numbness. He uses Naomi for physical comfort but feels guilty and empty.
Deep down, he never stopped loving Sylvia—their breakup stemmed from her pain condition; she didn’t want to deny him sex, so she ended it. They stayed friends, sharing intimate late-night talks.
As grief intensifies, Peter leans more on Sylvia for emotional support. He eventually ends things with Naomi (after a fight where she calls out his emotional unavailability and his lingering attachment to Sylvia).
Peter nearly overdoses on pills during a breakdown but survives and begins weaning off them with help.
Ivan’s Arc: Ivan’s relationship with Margaret blossoms passionately—they spend weekends together, discuss life/philosophy, and have fulfilling sex.
However, conflicts arise: the age gap bothers Margaret (she worries about power imbalances, her maturity vs. his youth, and future differences like children). Small-town gossip judges her as “predatory.”
Ivan struggles with chess losses, feeling his identity crumbling post-father’s death.
In a major fight, Ivan lashes out, accusing Margaret of not truly loving him or using him to feel young. Hurt, Margaret breaks up with him, saying the relationship can’t work long-term.
The brothers gradually reconnect. Peter, seeing Ivan’s pain, becomes more supportive (e.g., attending Ivan’s tournaments).
Ivan opens up about Margaret. A pivotal moment: During a key chess tournament for Ivan, Peter rushes to support him after a crisis, showing up unannounced. This leads to their first honest conversations—they admit resenting each other but also loving one another deeply.
They express “I love you” for the first time as adults, releasing years of unspoken tension.
Romantic Resolutions:
Peter confesses to Sylvia that he wants her back, pain and no-sex notwithstanding. Sylvia, who still loves him, agrees. They resume a committed relationship: emotionally intimate, living together at times, sleeping in the same bed (cuddling, non-penetrative intimacy).
However, they discuss openness—Peter can seek sex elsewhere if needed, though it’s unclear if he does (he has fully ended things with Naomi). The arrangement is presented as mature and loving, accepting imperfection over “normal” monogamy.
Ivan and Margaret reconcile after her breakup reflection. She realizes she genuinely loves him, age gap aside. They commit to each other, embracing the relationship’s unconventional nature.
The Ending
The novel closes on a hopeful, ambiguous note characteristic of Rooney—no dramatic climax, but quiet emotional resolution.
In the final chapters/sections:
- Peter has quit pills, is mentally clearer, and embraces a non-traditional life with Sylvia (prioritizing emotional connection over societal norms).
- Ivan wins a chess game symbolically and feels more secure in his bond with Margaret.
- The brothers play chess together at home, talking openly. They acknowledge their father’s absence but find solace in their rekindled sibling bond—expressing love, vulnerability, and mutual understanding.
The last scenes emphasize acceptance: life/grief/love is messy and imperfect, but connections (familial and romantic) can endure without “breaking.” No one gets a perfect happy ending—relationships remain complex (age gaps, sexual limitations, past traumas)—but characters choose possibility over despair. Peter and Ivan have mended their rift; romantic pairs are together in evolved forms.
Rooney leaves it open-ended: Will the arrangements last? Will grief fully heal? But the tone is optimistic—life holds “desire, despair, and possibility” without shattering.
This is Rooney’s most mature work thematically, focusing on middle-age crises, asexual/platonic love, polyamory hints, and brotherly love over her usual millennial angst.
Chess metaphors (intermezzo as an unexpected move) underscore life’s surprising turns.
2. Intermezzo Analysis
2.1. Characters
Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo features deeply layered characters whose development drives the narrative of grief and connection. The two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, form the emotional core, their contrasting personalities highlighting themes of estrangement and reconciliation.
Peter Koubek (mid-30s): A successful Dublin lawyer, outwardly competent but inwardly fractured by insomnia, sleeping pill addiction, and grief over his father’s death.
His motivations stem from a need for control and emotional suppression; he medicates to numb pain and maintains transactional sex with Naomi while pining for Sylvia, his ex.
Peter’s complexity lies in his hypocrisy—he patronizes Ivan as “odd” while his own life spirals (near-overdose, professional detachment). His development is redemptive: quitting pills, confessing love to Sylvia, and supporting Ivan, showing vulnerability beneath charisma.
His relationships impact the story profoundly—his lingering attachment to Sylvia enables non-traditional love, while his initial dismissal of Ivan’s romance with Margaret fuels brotherly tension.
Ivan Koubek (22): A professional chess player, socially awkward and introspective, feeling inferior to Peter.
Motivated by a search for authentic connection post-bereavement, he falls intensely for Margaret. Ivan’s growth is from isolation to emotional openness; chess losses mirror identity crises, but reconciliation with Margaret and Peter affirms his worth.
His relationship with Margaret (age-gap romance) challenges societal norms, impacting the plot by exploring desire and judgment.
Sylvia: Peter’s first love, a lawyer with chronic pain from an accident, making penetrative sex impossible. She ended their decade-long relationship to “free” him sexually but remained emotionally intertwined. Complex and selfless, her motivations blend love with sacrifice.
Reuniting with Peter in an open-yet-committed arrangement (emotional intimacy primary, sex secondary) showcases maturity.
Naomi: Early-20s student in a casual, paid sexual relationship with Peter; witty, resilient sex worker. She confronts Peter’s unavailability, leading to their breakup. Her role critiques transactional dynamics.
Margaret: Mid-30s divorced woman with a stigmatized past (ex-partner imprisoned for fraud). Kind and reflective, she fears exploiting Ivan due to the age gap. Her reconciliation with him affirms unconventional love.
Relationships evolve impactfully: Brotherly rift heals through mutual support (Peter attending Ivan’s tournament); romantic pairs embrace imperfection (Peter/Sylvia non-monogamous hints; Ivan/Margaret overcoming doubts).
Characters feel authentically flawed—motivations rooted in grief, insecurity, and desire—making their arcs compelling and relatable.
3. Intermezzo Themes
1. Emotional Complexity and Intellectualism
Rooney’s characters often experience emotional confusion, veering between intense personal suffering and moments of connection. Intermezzo explores these themes in depth, with Ivan struggling to maintain both his romantic life and chess career, and Peter juggling his ethical dilemmas and unfulfilled relationships.
2. Class, Capitalism, and Left-Wing Ideals
Rooney’s critique of capitalism appears again, symbolized by a minor antagonist named Darren, who represents a morally vacant corporate lifestyle.
The brothers, aligned with left-wing intellectualism, stand in stark contrast to characters like Darren. Rooney’s portrayal of them, particularly Ivan’s principled refusal to travel by air for environmental reasons, illustrates her ongoing focus on the ethical behaviours of her millennial characters.
3. Writing Style and Tone
While Rooney’s previous works showcased her minimalist, straightforward prose, Intermezzo presents a more elaborate and fragmented narrative structure. Alternating between Ivan’s quiet introspection and Peter’s increasingly erratic thoughts, the novel employs stream-of-consciousness passages reminiscent of James Joyce.
At times, Rooney uses deliberate verb omissions and truncated sentences, intensifying the sense of psychological turmoil experienced by the characters.
Despite this stylistic shift, Intermezzo retains Rooney’s familiar balance of irony and deadpan humor. Yet, some readers may find the prose occasionally self-indulgent, with moments that feel more contrived than authentic, particularly during intimate or philosophical musings.
4. Class, Capitalism, and Left-Wing Ideals in Intermezzo
One of the recurring themes in Sally Rooney’s work, including Intermezzo, is the critique of capitalism and the exploration of class dynamics.
Rooney’s novels often feature protagonists who are deeply aware of societal inequalities and their own positions within this framework, typically leaning toward left-wing ideals.
In Intermezzo, these themes are intricately woven into the personal lives of the characters, particularly the two brothers, Ivan and Peter, who serve as intellectual and moral contrasts to the capitalist world they disdain.
5. Darren: The Embodiment of Capitalism’s Moral Vacuum
In Intermezzo, Rooney introduces Darren, the half-brother of Ivan and Peter, as a minor yet symbolic character who represents everything the protagonists despise about the capitalist world.
Darren works at a corporate law firm, earning a substantial salary but contributing, as the novel states, “literally nothing at all to human civilization.” This critique of Darren’s profession highlights Rooney’s broader condemnation of capitalist-driven careers, where personal success and financial gain come at the expense of social contribution or ethical fulfilment.
Darren’s shallow character is further emphasized by his bad taste, exemplified by his choice of synthetic fragrances, polished marble countertops, and plastic flip-flops—symbols of his conformity to capitalist culture and lack of depth.
Rooney’s portrayal of Darren is not just about personal disdain but serves as a microcosm for a larger systemic critique.
He is a reminder of the pervasive and dehumanizing effects of capitalism on individuals, stripping them of meaningful contributions and reducing them to cogs in a corporate machine.
Darren’s superficiality stands in stark contrast to the intellectual and ethical struggles of Ivan and Peter, reinforcing the novel’s ideological divide between the capitalist elite and the socially conscious left-wing protagonists.
6. The Protagonists: Intellectualism as Resistance
Ivan and Peter, the central figures of Intermezzo, embody the intellectual left-wing ideal that has become a hallmark of Rooney’s fiction.
Both brothers, despite their flaws and emotional complexities, are portrayed as morally and intellectually superior to characters like Darren, precisely because they engage in critical thought about their place in society and their responsibilities as individuals.
Ivan, the 22-year-old chess prodigy with a degree in theoretical physics, is depicted as a highly thoughtful and morally conscious individual.
His refusal to travel by air for environmental reasons and his commitment to second-hand clothing reflect his alignment with anti-capitalist, environmentally responsible ideals. These lifestyle choices are symbolic acts of resistance against the consumer-driven, profit-oriented culture that Darren epitomizes.
Ivan’s intellectualism is not just a personal trait but a form of rebellion against a world where financial success is valued over ethical living.
Peter, the elder brother, is a human rights lawyer, a profession that Rooney frames as a more morally upright alternative to the corporate world in which Darren thrives. Peter’s intellectualism is similarly portrayed as a counterpoint to capitalist values, with his character grappling with ethical dilemmas and the responsibilities that come with privilege.
However, Rooney also critiques Peter’s own entrapment in the systems of power, highlighting the tension between his ideals and the compromises he must make in his professional life.
7. Class and Moral Hierarchies
Rooney often draws clear moral hierarchies in her novels, with intellectualism and left-wing politics positioned at the top.
In Intermezzo, this hierarchy is expressed through the juxtaposition of characters like Ivan and Peter, who are portrayed as sensitive, intelligent, and socially aware, against characters like Darren, who represent the capitalist status quo.
The protagonists’ struggles with love, grief, and identity are depicted as more meaningful and profound precisely because they are connected to broader social and political critiques.
Rooney’s fixation on class and capitalism is also evident in the environments she creates. Darren’s modern housing development with its “big engraved rock outside” serves as a symbol of the shallow, materialistic world that characters like Ivan and Peter reject.
By contrast, Ivan’s and Peter’s worlds are defined by their intellectual pursuits, ethical reflections, and emotional depth, all of which are presented as antithetical to the capitalist system.
8. Romantic Relationships as Extensions of Class Conflict
In Intermezzo, the romantic entanglements of the characters also serve to highlight the theme of class and capitalism.
Ivan’s relationship with Margaret, an arts centre employee more than a decade his senior, and Peter’s complex relationships with Sylvia and Naomi, are not just personal dramas but reflections of the broader societal tensions they navigate. Ivan and Margaret’s relationship, in particular, can be seen as a rebellion against societal norms, both in terms of the age gap and their mutual rejection of capitalist values.
Their connection is portrayed as more authentic and profound precisely because it exists outside the capitalist framework of transactional relationships and material success.
Peter’s relationship with Naomi, a student who sells explicit pictures of herself online, adds another layer to the exploration of capitalism. Naomi’s commodification of her body for financial gain reflects the ways in which capitalism infiltrates even the most intimate aspects of life.
Peter’s conflicted feelings about paying her rent and his attraction to Sylvia, a brilliant academic, further illustrate the tension between personal desire and the moral dilemmas posed by living in a capitalist society.
4. Evaluation
Strengths/pleasant/positive experiences with book
Rooney’s mature evolution shines—prose is luminous, especially Peter’s hazy introspection and Ivan’s poignant directness.
Characters are vividly complex, relationships nuanced (non-traditional resolutions feel earned and hopeful). Emotional depth in grief and sibling reconciliation is moving; quiet moments (brothers saying “I love you”) pack impact. Vivid sensory descriptions (scents, touches) immerse readers pleasantly.
Weaknesses/negative experiences with book
Pacing can feel slow, with repetitive introspection dragging in Peter’s sections. Some themes (millennial/Gen-Z relational angst, class hints) echo prior works, feeling familiar rather than fresh.
Age-gap romances, while explored thoughtfully, risk glamorizing imbalances without enough critique. Ending’s ambiguity satisfies intellectually but may frustrate those seeking closure.
Impact
Emotionally, it resonated deeply on imperfect love and grief’s lingering ache—Peter’s addiction mirrored real suppressed pain, while brotherly healing evoked catharsis. Intellectually, it provoked thoughts on societal norms (monogamy, age gaps) and life’s “intermezzos” as growth opportunities.
Comparison with similar Works
Most comparable to Rooney’s oeuvre—matures beyond Normal People‘s youthful romance/class focus or Beautiful World, Where Are You‘s meta-friendship/fame. Shares introspective relationships with Rachel Cusk or Brandon Taylor, but Rooney’s plain dialogue and Irish milieu are distinctive.
Unlike Tessa Hadley family dramas, it’s more sexually frank; chess element nods to Nabokov’s The Defense, but grounded in emotion.
5. Personal insight with contemporary educational relevance
Intermezzo offers profound lessons on age-gap relationships, a timely topic amid evolving dating norms.
The novel’s Ivan-Margaret romance (14-15 year gap) explores consent, power dynamics, and societal judgment without easy vilification—Margaret’s self-doubt highlights maturity imbalances, while their mutual growth affirms genuine connection.
This resonates educationally in discussions of healthy relationships, especially as data shows age-gap pairings rising among Gen Z women seeking stability with older partners (2024-2025 trends note increased acceptance, though average gaps remain ~2-3 years per Pew Research).
Contemporary relevance ties to mental health and consent education: Larger gaps often face scrutiny for exploitation risks, yet studies (e.g., Psychology Today 2025) emphasize communication over age alone. Rooney’s portrayal encourages critical thinking—relationships can thrive unconventionally if equitable.
In classrooms or workshops, it prompts reflection on red flags vs. authentic love, supported by stats showing 60-70% of age-gaps involve older men/younger women, fueling ageism debates.
This insight underscores empathy in judging others’ bonds, relevant amid 2025’s growing acceptance (e.g., articles noting reduced stigma). Ultimately, the book teaches life’s impermanence demands openness to “intermezzos” of desire and possibility.
6. Intermezzo Quotes
- “And if ever I lose someone, let me descend into a futile and prolonged rage, yes, despair… Let me suffer, please. To love just these few people, to know myself capable of that, I would suffer every day of my life.” (On grief’s raw intensity and love’s worth.)
- “Margaret feels that she can perceive the miraculous beauty of life itself, lived only once and then gone forever, the bloom of a perfect impermanent flower, never to be retrieved.” (Captures existential wonder amid romance.)
- “Nonetheless, it is better to feel hopeful and optimistic about one’s life on earth while engaged in the never-ending struggle to pay rent, than to feel despondent and depressed while engaged in the same non-optional struggle anyway.” (Quintessential Rooney irony on resilience.)
- From the opening (provided excerpt): “In whose blent air all our compulsions meet.” (Evocative of desire’s sensory pull in Peter’s scenes.)
- “What if life is just a collection of essentially unrelated experiences? Why does one thing have to follow meaningfully from another?” (Ivan’s philosophical doubt, tying to chess/life unpredictability.)
7. Conclusion
Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo is a nuanced exploration of relationships, ethics, and the clash between personal ideals and societal expectations.
It is undeniably a work of emotional depth and intellectual ambition, though it may divide readers with its stylistic shifts and sometimes claustrophobic focus on its protagonists’ internal worlds.
However, for fans of Rooney’s work, Intermezzo offers an evolution of her signature style, pushing her literary boundaries while still maintaining the core themes that have resonated with so many.
