First off, I'll quickly get the negatives out the way. There were only a few small moments in the book where I got a bit bored. I also noticed that Sally Rooney's writing style was somewhat different. Which leads to the other thing, how some of the phrases and sentences were written. It was a bit difficult trying to read the books at times. And that's it.

I would agree with those saying this is Sally Rooney's best novel since Normal People.

Within the first 2-3 chapters of this book, I was immediately absorbed into the story. The two main characters, Peter and Ivan Koubek, were both very interesting and complex, in their own individual ways. The problems and challenges they both dealt with in their professional and personal lives, both on their own and with each other. The way they dealt with grief over the loss of their father.

Peter had a lot of intriguing qualities to him. The way his demeanour is, his job position, his relationships with Naomi and Sylvia, and how that progresses and changes as time goes on. Both of them are different enough for Peter to be drawn to them, and as the story goes on, he has to decide which one of them he truly wants to be with. He may come off as cold and rude, but he's not all that. As the story progresses, he really does develop as a person, and by the end of the book, you do end up caring about him (if not already).

That being said, I think Ivan is a more relatable person because of his qualities. His introversion, his slight aloofness, as well as his awkwardness and lack of social interactions. How he finds more comfort in chess than in other people. The growing relationship he had with Margaret felt real. The various different moments they had together were quite heartfelt.

How the two brothers dealt with grief was intriguing because of how they both handled it in their own ways. How both of them couldn't really communicate with each other properly about what they were going through. The years of trauma they both had bottled up inside.

In the end, despite a few things here and there, I undeniably enjoyed reading this book and thought the ending was both bittersweet and satisfactory. My appreciation for Sally Rooney continues to grow, and I very much look forward to her next novel. Whenever that may be.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.3 (717 ratings)
Price	$20.4
Category	Books

Intermezzo: A Novel