I’ve read most of Sally Rooney’s books and I think Intermezzo is her best so far.

However it may not be everyone’s taste as the paragraphs are long and meander and quotation marks aren’t used for dialogue which can be off putting. But if you persist, then you may just be as surprised as I was with this delightful novel about grief, loss and love.

The novel is centred around three main characters, two of whom are brothers, Ivan and Peter who have just lost their father. Theirs is a complicated relationship made more difficult by a ten year age gap and a divorced and remote mother. The third main character is Margaret, separated from her alcoholic husband who falls for twenty-two year old Ivan, a star chess player. Peter on the other hand as the older brother has his own issues as he navigates the loss of his father all while dealing with the love of two women.

It sounds like a complicated web of relationships and it is. What makes it so compelling is the characters. I stopped reading this one halfway through for two weeks while I was away and went back into not missing a beat as I was so invested in each character. Rooney is skilled at making you care enough to hope for each of them. It’s tender-hearted and beautifully written.

I really enjoyed this one. Give it a go.