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Already set to be one of the biggest literary hits of 2024, Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo is finally here.
Skyrocketing to global fame with the 2018 book Normal People, along with the BBC’s adaptation starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, Rooney’s latest novel will be her fourth. A writer at the top of her game, it’s won over the critics who have hailed Intermezzo as her most mature and moving tome yet.
Exploring the author’s signature themes of identity, mental health, complicated relationships and society politics, Intermezzo is about two polar opposite brothers in Ireland, who are grappling with grief in the wake of their father’s death.
The synopsis reads: “For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude – a period of desire, despair and possibility – a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.”
The wait is over for devotees of the Irish author, as the new title is released today (24 September). To make its release, we have also ranked Rooney’s other bestselling books, so if you’re yet to read any of the Irish author’s top titles, now’s the time to do it.
‘Intermezzo’ by Sally Rooney, published by Faber: Was £20, now £10, Amazon.co.uk
Rooney’s novel tells the story of two brothers in Ireland, grappling with grief after the death of their father. Peter and Ivan Koubek could not be more different. Peter is a successful lawyer in his 30s and is managing messy relationships with two women, his enduring first love and a younger college student. Meanwhile, Ivan is 22 years old, a competitive chess player and a self-described socially awkward loner. Following the two grieving brothers and the people they love, the novel explores themes of desire, despair and possibility.
In an interview with The Times, Rooney says she was re-reading James Joyce’s Ulysses while writing the novel. Influenced by Joycean, the point of view of her idiosyncratic characters switches between inner monologies that are written as a stream of consciousness. Already critically acclaimed, it’s available now and currently half-price on Amazon.
Best Sally Rooney novels, ranked
To mark the release of Sally Rooney’s fourth novel, why not revisit the author’s roster of bestselling books? From Normal People to Conversations With Friends, these are the best Sally Rooney books, ranked.
‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney, published by Faber: Was £9.99, now £6, Amazon.co.uk
The book that made Rooney an international bestseller, 2018’s Normal People is about Connell and Marianne, who grow up in the same small town in the west of Ireland. While Connell is well-liked and popular at school, Marianne is a self-confessed loner.
A story of opposites attracting, the two fall headfirst into a complicated relationship that takes them from school to university and beyond. Adapted by the BBC in 2020, the hit lockdown series starred Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, introducing a whole new fan base to Rooney’s writing.
‘Conversations with Friends’ by Sally Rooney, published by Faber: Was £12.22, now £7.20, Amazon.co.uk
Rooney’s debut novel, released in 2017, tells a similarly complicated love story. Frances is an introverted aspiring writer studying in Dublin, while her best friend and former girlfriend Bobbi is loud and beautiful. After the two perform at a spoken word poetry evening, they meet a married couple who gradually draw them into their world.
When Frances embroils herself in an intimate affair with the handsome husband, the ripple effect on the group is messy (to say the least). A nuanced coming-of-age story about two women figuring out how to be adults, the book was also adapted by the BBC to acclaim.
‘Beautiful World, Where Are You?’ by Sally Rooney, published by Faber: Was £9.99, now £6.45, Amazon.co.uk
Rooney’s third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You? explores friendship, art and fame through two couples. Alice, a wealthy and internationally successful writer, and Eileen, a literary magazine writer in Dublin who hates her roommates, are best friends on the cusp of turning 30.
Intervening their separate love stories (from dating app failures to pining over exes) and long emails they send one another, the two women converse on everything from faith and climate change to the Bronze Age and capitalism. More earnest and philosophical than Rooney’s previous novels, it’s just as gripping.
Want more inspiration? Check out our round-up of must-read novels
This post was originally published on here
