Sally Rooney’s fourth novel, “Intermezzo,” reveals that an author’s artistry can soar with time. After she garnered massive success with her first three novels, Rooney’s narratives, along with the popularity of the television adaptation of her book “Normal People,” have triggered a fresh wave of public interest in the literary fiction genre. “Intermezzo” is no different, boasting Rooney’s distinct and masterful interpretation of lit-fic.

An ambitious and intricate tale unfolds in the aftermath of grief for the two Koubek brothers, attorney Peter and chess prodigy Ivan, following the death of their father. However, both men find solace — and chaos — in the form of love through budding and desperately complicated relationships with women. 

At 32 years old, Peter finds himself torn between the contrasting partnerships of his long-time friend and former lover, Sylvia, and a money-minded college student named Naomi. Similarly, 22-year-old Ivan finds himself embroiled in a visceral relationship with an older person he meets at a chess match, a 36-year-old divorced woman named Margaret. 

The term “intermezzo” refers to a movement between the major sections of an extended musical work. Like the title indicates, the following incidents unravel as an intermezzo between the death of the Koubeks’ father and the period of their lives in which grief no longer rules and defines their actions. Along the way, their respective partners are caught in the tide of their instability and mutual inability to acknowledge their remaining family.

Rooney’s mastery shines in her tendency to alternate perspectives, with the novel shifting between the clipped, dependent clauses of Peter’s voice and the more prosaic, matter-of-fact voice of Ivan. With Margaret’s more balanced and complete narrative perspective, Rooney allows for a constant refresh of the novel’s movement while also exploring the peculiarities of each character.

What makes this novel stand out from Rooney’s previous bibliography is the gorgeous interplay of category confusions in the form of gender and age gaps. Despite the Koubek brothers being on different sides of age-imbalanced relationships, the genders of those involved create an interplay of social conditioning and desire that make for a thrilling read.

Rooney’s novels have consistently dealt with romance and, at times, the effect that age can have on a romantic relationship. However, “Intermezzo” specifically takes her exploration of human love into largely uncharted territory within contemporary literary fiction, with a deeper look at how age gaps are perceived for characters depending on their gender. 

While Ivan’s unconventional relationship with Margaret causes him to reflect on the possibility that he could be capable of a happiness he once decided was not for him, Peter feels selfish and disgusted at his inability to choose between Sylvia and Naomi. Nevertheless, Peter faces little to no social consequences for the nine-year gap between himself and Naomi, continuing a successful and respected career within the Dublin law scene.

Conversely, Margaret finds herself constantly moving between flattered surprise at Ivan’s earnest infatuation with her and shame at dating someone significantly younger than her in her mid-30s. Peter’s relationship with Naomi is largely accepted by his male coworkers, while Margaret dreads what the people in her life may think of her for pursuing someone younger after the dissolution of her marriage.

Along with the complexity of gender, family plays a role in “Intermezzo” that has eluded Rooney’s other novels thus far. Peter and Ivan find each other to be beyond connection, reconciling that blood will be the only thing to ever bind them. However, following the death of their father, they are forced to reconcile that each brother had a separate yet equally valid relationship with him.

Their inability to understand each other because of their relationship as brothers creates a tension that holds the progression of the book’s movement. This tension acts as a beautiful tour de force of literary mastery that marks Rooney as one of the preeminent authors of the decade.

The ebb and flow of power between Naomi and Peter, Margaret and Ivan, and even Peter and Ivan creates an intense and palpable illustration of a deeply human chess match in which the tides are constantly turning. As the perspectives shift back and forth, each character feels a lack of control in their respective relationships as sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends and lovers. 

Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo” will leave readers pondering the nature of love within their own lives, beyond solely romance, but rather in family and friendship as well.