Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Summary, Characters and Themes
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney is a novel that can be called a perfect exploration of grief, family, love, and self-discovery.
The story follows two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, who are deeply affected by the recent death of their father. Set against the backdrop of their individual struggles, the novel delves into their complicated relationships with those around them, including ex-lovers, current partners, and a new romance that brings Ivan into an emotional awakening. Rooney masterfully navigates the complexities of human connection, as the brothers try to reconcile their pasts, their grief, and their fractured bond, all while grappling with their own personal identities.
Summary
The novel centers on two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, who are left to process their grief in very different ways after the death of their father. Peter, in his early thirties, is a successful Dublin lawyer with a seemingly perfect life, though beneath the surface, he is struggling.
He is involved in complicated relationships, notably with Sylvia, his long-time love who suffers from chronic pain due to an accident, and Naomi, a college student with whom he has an affair. Despite his outward success, Peter is emotionally stunted, using drugs and manipulation to cope with his unresolved grief.
Ivan, his younger brother, is a twenty-two-year-old chess prodigy whose career has stagnated after a brief period of success. Ivan’s life has always been solitary; he’s socially awkward and avoids emotional connections.
However, his father’s death throws him into a deep emotional turmoil, one that he struggles to express or confront. His solace comes unexpectedly through Margaret Kearns, an older woman he meets at a chess club.
Margaret, recently divorced and dealing with her own emotional baggage, becomes a source of unexpected intimacy for Ivan. Their discreet and intense relationship helps Ivan confront his grief, even as the age gap and their differing life stages complicate things.
Peter’s relationship with Sylvia, though enduring, is marred by her chronic pain, and their sexual connection is fraught with difficulty.
Peter’s feelings for Sylvia complicate his ongoing affair with Naomi, who lives a carefree and often reckless life. Naomi, who also relies on Peter for financial support, starts to sense his growing disinterest in their relationship.
This, coupled with Peter’s inability to emotionally invest, eventually leads to him distancing himself from Naomi, though their connection remains tenuous.
While Ivan’s emotional world grows through his connection with Margaret, Peter begins to seek solace in his complicated relationships with Sylvia and Naomi.
Sylvia’s eventual rejection of Peter and his emotional manipulation of Naomi highlight his deep insecurities and emotional immaturity.
When Peter learns of Ivan’s growing relationship with Margaret, he is repulsed by their age difference, and a rift forms between the brothers. This rift culminates in a violent confrontation when Peter, frustrated with his own lack of understanding and control, attacks Ivan during a visit to their father’s house in Kildare.
The emotional turmoil of both brothers reaches a breaking point. Ivan’s relationship with Margaret deepens as he navigates his grief and confusion. He opens up about his father’s death and the emotional weight it carries, finding in Margaret someone who helps him process his feelings.
Meanwhile, Peter continues his destructive path, but a moment of self-awareness is triggered when he is confronted by both Sylvia and Naomi. The realization that he has been using his relationships to cope with his grief rather than confront it sets Peter on a path toward self-acceptance.
In the end, the brothers, who have spent much of the novel in isolation from one another, begin to reconnect. Ivan’s progress in his chess career and Peter’s attempt to reconcile with Ivan lead to a heartfelt reunion.
The novel closes on a note of cautious hope as the brothers acknowledge their differences, their grief, and their shared history, finding a way to move forward, albeit imperfectly, in their relationship.
Through Intermezzo, Rooney examines the intricacies of grief and personal growth, masterfully portraying the challenges of finding meaningful connections in the face of emotional pain and the complicated ties that bind us to our past and each other.
Characters
Peter Koubek
Peter, the older brother of Ivan, presents himself as an outwardly successful and competent individual—he is a lawyer in his early thirties, living in Dublin. However, beneath this façade of control lies an emotionally conflicted and deeply troubled man.
Peter’s relationships, both past and present, reveal the extent of his struggles. His long-term relationship with Sylvia Larkin, his first love, is defined by her chronic pain after a traumatic car accident, which complicates their ability to have a fulfilling physical and emotional connection.
In addition to Sylvia, Peter is also involved with Naomi, a college student whose carefree attitude and sexual autonomy allow Peter to escape the weight of his grief and emotional turmoil. Peter’s attempts to find stability through relationships, however, only deepen his confusion, as his bond with Naomi increasingly feels hollow.
His journey throughout the novel reflects his internal battle between wanting emotional intimacy and pushing people away. His self-destructive coping mechanisms—such as using drugs to numb his grief—highlight his deep dissatisfaction with himself.
Peter’s evolution in the novel is one of gradual self-awareness, where he comes to terms with his imperfections and the complex nature of his relationships. In his strained connection with his younger brother Ivan, Peter’s emotional distance becomes apparent, as he cannot express vulnerability and struggles to understand his brother’s grief.
Yet, by the end of the novel, Peter begins to reconcile with Ivan, allowing him to heal in some small way.
Ivan Koubek
Ivan, the younger brother, is twenty-two years old and a competitive chess player whose early success has been stunted by the loss of his father. Ivan is socially awkward and introspective, often finding solace in the logical, structured world of chess rather than in human relationships.
His relationship with his father, a figure whose illness and death left a profound mark on Ivan, is a source of pain and grief that Ivan has difficulty processing. Unlike Peter, who turns to external distractions and manipulative behaviors, Ivan retreats into his internal world, often isolating himself from others.
His relationship with Margaret Kearns, an older woman he meets at a chess exhibition, represents a pivotal point in Ivan’s emotional growth. While their relationship begins as a way to cope with their respective griefs, it becomes a more profound emotional connection, where Ivan begins to open up and confront his vulnerabilities.
Margaret’s support allows Ivan to process his grief in a way that was previously impossible for him. Ivan’s emotional maturation is a central arc in the novel, as he moves from being a socially awkward, grief-stricken young man to someone who begins to understand the nuances of love, intimacy, and self-acceptance.
His eventual confrontation with his older brother, Peter, and their eventual reconciliation shows Ivan’s own growth and willingness to bridge the emotional divide that has long existed between them.
Sylvia Larkin
Sylvia is Peter’s first love, a woman who carries the burden of chronic pain following a car accident years earlier. Sylvia’s character is defined by her inner strength, yet also her vulnerability.
The accident has not only left her physically damaged but has also emotionally distanced her from Peter, who struggles to understand how to be present for her. Sylvia’s relationship with Peter is one of entanglement, where they both remain in each other’s lives without truly being able to reconnect on an intimate level.
Despite her pain, Sylvia is astute in her perceptions of Peter and calls him out on his emotional manipulation, especially when she accuses him of using her to deal with his grief rather than truly being there for her. Sylvia’s emotional resilience and her ability to understand Peter’s complexities show her own depth.
However, her relationship with Peter ultimately reflects a series of missed opportunities for emotional intimacy, as they both remain trapped in their respective traumas. Sylvia’s eventual decision to suggest an unconventional arrangement involving herself, Peter, and Naomi is an indication of her willingness to confront their dysfunctional relationship and find a way to move forward.
Naomi
Naomi, a college student whom Peter briefly dates, is portrayed as a carefree and sexually liberated young woman. She brings a sense of levity and freedom into Peter’s life, serving as a temporary escape from his emotional and psychological turmoil.
However, Naomi’s character is much more complex than her initial portrayal suggests. She is acutely aware of Peter’s deeper emotional struggles, though she remains hesitant to get fully involved with him.
Her relationship with Peter is transactional in nature, with Naomi seeking financial support from him while Peter seeks validation and escape from his grief. Despite this, Naomi also demonstrates her own emotional vulnerability, particularly in the way she reacts to Peter’s treatment of her.
As Peter distances himself from her, Naomi comes to realize that their relationship was not one of mutual emotional fulfillment but rather a means for Peter to cope with his unresolved feelings. Naomi’s brief but significant role in the narrative reflects the complexity of Peter’s emotional life and serves as a foil to his relationship with Sylvia.
Margaret Kearns
Margaret is an older woman with a turbulent past, who becomes the object of Ivan’s affection and emotional support. She is recently divorced from a man named Ricky, whose alcoholism and possessiveness have scarred her emotionally.
Margaret’s relationship with Ivan is initially rooted in their shared experience of grief and emotional isolation. Margaret’s complicated feelings about their age gap add a layer of self-consciousness to their connection, but it becomes clear that Margaret is drawn to Ivan not just for his youth and emotional intensity, but for his ability to offer her a form of stability and companionship.
Through her relationship with Ivan, Margaret undergoes her own emotional growth. She reveals her past struggles, such as her troubled marriage, to Ivan, who sympathizes with her.
Their relationship challenges Margaret’s own understanding of intimacy and what she desires in a connection with another person. As she becomes more invested in Ivan, her needs shift, and she openly expresses her desire for his love, asking for a commitment from him.
Margaret’s role in the story is crucial in Ivan’s development, as she helps him navigate his grief and his complicated relationship with his father and his brother. By the end of the novel, Margaret is positioned as a catalyst for Ivan’s emotional maturation, as she helps him confront his feelings of inadequacy and loss.
Themes
Grief, Love, and Emotional Repression
In “Intermezzo,” grief stands as a fundamental and all-encompassing theme that drives much of the characters’ emotional and relational struggles. The two brothers, Peter and Ivan, experience grief in starkly different ways, creating an emotional divide between them despite their shared loss of their father.
For Peter, grief is largely repressed, manifesting in his destructive coping mechanisms such as excessive drinking, drug use, and his emotionally manipulative relationships with both Sylvia and Naomi. He uses these connections to avoid confronting the deep, existential pain that comes with the death of his father.
Ivan, on the other hand, internalizes his grief and channels it through his intellectual and solitary world of chess. However, he too struggles to process the emotional weight of the loss. Their different approaches to grief prevent them from being there for each other, resulting in a painful distance between them.
The novel exposes the complex ways grief can influence relationships and personal growth, making it clear that while grief may be a shared experience, its expression is highly personal and can further isolate individuals rather than bring them together.
The Search for Intimacy in a Broken World
Human connection, or rather the difficulty of forming and maintaining meaningful connections, is another central theme in “Intermezzo.” The novel showcases how both brothers struggle to create deep, authentic relationships, despite their yearnings for emotional intimacy.
Peter’s relationships, particularly with Sylvia and Naomi, reveal the superficiality of his connections. His bond with Sylvia, though long-standing, is fraught with tension due to her chronic pain, which prevents their relationship from becoming fully physical or emotionally fulfilling.
His relationship with Naomi, while initially providing a distraction, exposes his inability to understand her complexity or to meet her needs. Similarly, Ivan’s relationship with Margaret, though intense and passionate, is complicated by their age difference and the emotional baggage both of them carry.
Ivan, a man who has long struggled with social awkwardness, finds solace in Margaret’s companionship. Yet their relationship is also marred by emotional barriers. Both brothers’ attempts at intimacy ultimately underscore the fragility of human connection in a world where individuals are often unable to communicate their needs, desires, or vulnerabilities effectively, leading to repeated missteps and emotional pain.
Emotional Suppression and the Dangers of Toxic Masculinity
The portrayal of masculinity in “Intermezzo” provides a profound exploration of emotional repression and the impact of societal expectations on male identity. Peter, as the older brother, embodies a form of traditional masculinity, marked by stoicism, control, and the avoidance of vulnerability.
His outward success as a lawyer masks a deep emotional fragility, one that he tries to suppress through relationships that allow him to maintain power or dominance, particularly with women like Sylvia and Naomi. His failure to express vulnerability, combined with his destructive coping mechanisms, highlights the dangers of a masculinity that prioritizes emotional control over emotional honesty.
Ivan, though younger and more introverted, is also shaped by similar gendered expectations. His own struggle to understand and process his grief, coupled with his reliance on his intellect and isolation, shows how the lack of emotional outlets for men can lead to a form of loneliness that is both self-imposed and culturally enforced.
The novel critiques how society often conditions men to avoid emotional expression, and how this emotional suppression can create a sense of alienation, contributing to a cycle of emotional damage that ultimately harms both the men themselves and their relationships.
How Unresolved Trauma Shapes Our Present and Future
“Intermezzo” grapples with the theme of unresolved trauma and how the past continues to shape the present and future of its characters. Both Peter and Ivan’s lives are deeply impacted by the trauma of their father’s illness and death, but the characters’ attempts to deal with this trauma are fraught with complexity.
Peter, who failed to emotionally connect with his father during his illness, finds himself unable to process his grief properly. Instead, he buries it beneath layers of addiction and superficial relationships, only to later realize that these coping mechanisms are just ways of avoiding the pain he hasn’t allowed himself to feel.
Ivan, in contrast, has a more intellectual approach, retreating into his chess and avoiding emotional engagements. However, his grief manifests in his relationship with Margaret, and he learns that to truly grow, he must confront the unresolved pain of his past.
The novel demonstrates how trauma can pervade every aspect of life—affecting the way characters relate to one another, make choices, and define themselves. The past, in this sense, is never truly gone, and it continually exerts influence on the characters’ lives, shaping their emotional realities even when they are unaware of its hold.
Sibling Rivalry, Love, and Reconciliation
Family dynamics, particularly the intricate and often painful relationship between siblings, are at the heart of “Intermezzo.” The relationship between Peter and Ivan is defined by years of emotional distance, miscommunication, and a sense of rivalry. Despite being brothers, they have very little in common and are unable to bond over their shared grief, each dealing with their father’s death in different ways.
The novel highlights how their differing responses to trauma have created an emotional chasm between them. Peter’s attempt to reach out to Ivan, primarily driven by his desire to impress Sylvia, is a clear indication of his lack of genuine understanding of his brother’s needs. Ivan, for his part, views Peter’s actions with increasing resentment, leading to a rift that deepens over time.
However, the eventual reconciliation between the two brothers, catalyzed by their mutual recognition of their shared grief and the unraveling of their individual emotional struggles, underscores the importance of vulnerability, empathy, and communication in repairing familial bonds. This theme ultimately suggests that while family relationships can be fraught with conflict, they also hold the potential for healing, as long as the characters are willing to confront their emotions honestly and meet each other on a deeper, more empathetic level.
The Relentless Pursuit of Self-Understanding
Self-understanding and the arduous path to personal growth are recurring themes in “Intermezzo,” particularly in how the characters evolve emotionally and psychologically throughout the narrative. Both Peter and Ivan undergo significant transformations, driven largely by their relationships with others and their grappling with their own grief.
Peter’s journey is marked by a gradual but painful awakening to his own flaws, particularly his tendency to use others for emotional support rather than being truly present for them. His initial emotional detachment and reliance on external sources of validation, such as his relationships with Sylvia and Naomi, give way to a deeper self-awareness, culminating in his recognition of his need for change.
Ivan’s path to maturity is more intellectual in nature but equally profound. Through his connection with Margaret, he learns to break out of his emotional isolation, confronting his past and growing into a more self-aware individual. The novel highlights how personal growth often requires the courage to face painful truths about oneself and the willingness to change, even when it means confronting one’s most uncomfortable emotions and behaviors.