On the surface, Intermezzo is about two grieving brothers who are both struggling with their relationships. Peter is a 30-ish human rights lawyer in Dublin who presents as a successful human with strong inter-personal skills but who privately is sleeping with a 20-ish Only Fans star and pining over his college girlfriend who broke up with him after she suffered a life-altering accident. Peter needs to move on but is full of himself. Ivan is a 22-year-old competitive chess player, who according to Peter is awkward and talks in robotic monosyllables. Ivan is the most likeable loner imaginable, so likeable that he romantically charms the 30-ish host of a weekend chess tournament. Ivan needs to grow up a little and understand how his reactions can affect others.
On a deeper level, Intermezzo is an existential view of the healing and breaking points of life. The book incorporates quotes from Ludwig Wittgenstien’s Philosophical Investigations, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, several poems including TS Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” Susan Sontag’s essay “Against Interpretation”, and James Joyce’s Ulysses, among others. The book is dark and moody, a bit academic, and awkwardly initiate, sometimes in a funny way. I thought it was a good read.
If you like Larry’s Party by Carol Shields or Less by Andrew Sean Greer then you’ll enjoy the struggles of Peter and Ivan. Intermezzo is a rumination on the human heart; it’s about retracing your steps, and looking for fulfillment.