Listen ad-free

Sally Rooney's "Intermezzo": Our Book Club Conversation

The Book Review

01-11-2024 • 38 mins

Sally Rooney is a writer people talk about. Since her first novel, “Conversations With Friends,” was published in 2017, Rooney has been hailed as a defining voice of the millennial generation because of her ability to capture the particular angst and confusion of young love, friendship and coming-of-age in our fraught digital era.

“Intermezzo,” her fourth and latest novel, centers on two brothers separated by 10 years and periods of estrangement, who are grieving the recent death of their father. Peter Koubek is a 32-year-old lawyer with a younger girlfriend, Naomi, and an unextinguished flame for his ex, Sylvia; his brother, Ivan, is a 22-year-old chess prodigy who falls into a relationship with a 36-year-old divorcée, Margaret.

In this week’s episode, the Book Review’s MJ Franklin discusses the book with fellow editors Joumana Khatib, Sadie Stein and Dave Kim.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

You Might Like

The Moth
The Moth
The Moth
99% Invisible
99% Invisible
Roman Mars
Myths and Legends
Myths and Legends
Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser, Nextpod
Spooked
Spooked
Snap Judgment
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Adam Graham Radio Detective Podcasts
Free Audiobooks
Free Audiobooks
Appbly.com
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment and PRX
Fantasy Fangirls
Fantasy Fangirls
Fantasy Fangirls | QCODE
The Book Review
The Book Review
The New York Times
Web Novels
Web Novels
Ashbalala