Ever since Irish author Sally Rooney broke into the literary world (and into the hearts and minds of countless readers) with her critically acclaimed 2017 debut, , her rise to fame has been rapid and intense. Her follow-up, , about the complex romance between Dubliners Connell and Marianne, was adapted into a hit television series on Hulu. Quick on its heels came the sweeping, millennial-centric . And now, four years later, comes her much-anticipated new novel,. Here is everything we know about Sally Rooney’s latest audiobook.
What is Intermezzo about?
In Intermezzo, Rooney departs from her previous focus on female protagonists. The story instead revolves around a pair of brothers, focusing on how each handles the intense grief in the wake of their father's death. While the two seem to have nothing in common—Peter is a lawyer in his 30s juggling relationships with two very different women while Ivan is a socially awkward 22-year-old competitive chess player—their shared grief begins to conjoin them.
In this new chapter that grief has opened for each man, their lives become increasingly intense and intertwined. The novel, like her others, is full of intriguing twists and shocking revelations. Morals. Ethics. The very nature of humanity. Could we expect any less at stake in a Sally Rooney novel?
Who narrates the Intermezzo audiobook?
Seasoned Sally Rooney listeners may be surprised to discover that her longtime narrator, beloved Irish performer , is not reading Intermezzo. But the story of Peter and Ivan made sense for a male voice, and listeners are in for a treat with the casting of Éanna Hardwicke, who played Rob Hegarty in the Emmy-nominated TV adaptation of Normal People. Hardwicke’s seductive, knowing performance—and that gorgeous Irish accent!—are the perfect match for Intermezzo.
What does the word “intermezzo” mean?
Intermezzo is an Italian word meaning “interlude” or “interval.” Originating in the 1700s, an intermezzo refers to an interlude between acts at the theater. In the game of chess, it means “an unexpected move”—the perfect evocative, multifaceted word for the novel.
Is there an adaptation in the works?
Rooney’s work has a short but notable history of masterful screen adaptations, and fans are hopeful that her fourth novel will follow suit. As of now, the time of the novel’s release, there are no public plans for adaptations.
Rooney’s second novel, Normal People, was adapted into a miniseries in 2020. Her debut novel, , became an Irish miniseries in 2022. Beautiful World, Where Are You does currently not have any adaptations.
What does Sally Rooney think of her public critiques?
With her novels so much in the public discourse, Rooney has been the subject of much examination herself. While Rooney has stated publicly that she tries not to read or engage with critiques of her work and that her novels should speak for themselves, there is one label she does rebuke—the term “sad girl lit,” which has been attached to her books over the years. Rooney has a different take. “I find my books quite optimistic about the human condition,” she has said.
Regardless of where you stand on the Rooney fandom scale, Intermezzo is bound to be a subject of discussion in the literary world.
What are people saying about Intermezzo?
"Call me a fool for love, but this oft-jaundiced reader found this meal to be discerning, fattening, old-school and delicious." —The New York Times Book Review
“Bestseller Rooney returns with a boldly experimental and emotionally devastating story of estrangement ... The novel’s deliberate pacing veers from the propulsiveness of Normal People and the deep character work contrasts with the topicality of Beautiful World, but in many ways this feels like Rooney’s most fully realized work, especially as she channels the modernist styles of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf ... Even the author’s skeptics are liable to be swept away by this novel’s forceful currents of feeling.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Rooney has struck a satisfying blend of the things she’s best at—sensitively rendered characters, intimacies, consideration of social and philosophical issues—with newer moves ... The characters remain reach-out-and-touch-them real ... Her grandmaster status remains intact.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The most talked-about author of her generation returns with a hotly awaited fourth book ... With a Joycean tang to the prose, it continues the deepening of her style since the crystalline insouciance of her 2017 debut Conversations with Friends.” ―Anthony Cummins, The Guardian
“[Intermezzo] might be her best yet: a tale of depth and grand sweep, an understated study of characters caught circling the margin of some great and unknown thing, and a diversion of pure enjoyment, too. Rooney’s title tells us these brothers, in their love and fury for one another, are at an in-between moment, as she carefully, brilliantly writes them out of it.” ―Booklist