Intermezzo
by Sally Rooney
★ Top 25 book of 2024 · #20 on Best Books of 2024
Sally Rooney's fourth novel tracks two Irish brothers coping after their father dies. Ivan, a former chess prodigy, falls for an older woman, while Peter, a lawyer, juggles two complicated relationships. Grief, family bonds and romantic power dynamics run through it.
Best for: Fans of character-driven Irish fiction about grief, siblings and age-gap love
Intermezzo is #20 on BookWard's Best Books of 2024, out of 33 2024 books that cleared our data bar.
What Intermezzo is about
Brothers Ivan and Peter Koubek are trying to find their footing in the weeks after their father's death. Ivan, twenty-two, was once a chess prodigy, but his career has stalled. At a chess exhibition he meets Margaret Kearns, a thirty-six-year-old arts programme director, and a quiet, private relationship begins. Peter, thirty-two, is a human rights lawyer who is seeing a young student, Naomi, while still carrying feelings for his ex, Sylvia, whose chronic pain after a car accident ended things between them.
The brothers do not handle each other well, and Peter's disapproval of Ivan's relationship drives a wedge between them. Set in Dublin and rural Ireland, Sally Rooney's fourth novel is her first to centre on men and on the bonds between them. The title nods to both music and chess. It suits readers who enjoy intimate, thoughtful stories about grief, family and love.
Intermezzo on the Best Books of 2024
Intermezzo came out in 2024. Of the 33 books first published in 2024 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #20 on our Best Books of 2024 list.
Why it made the list: 300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; its Wikipedia page averaged 8,980 views a month recently. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2024 list
- Wrath of the Triple Goddess Rick Riordan, #18
- Where's Molly H. D. Carlton, #19
- The Ministry of Time Kaliane Bradley, #21
- You Are Here David Nicholls, #22
See all Best Books of 2024 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2023 Best Books of 2025.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 102 want to read it, 3 are reading it now and 11 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Wikipedia: its article averaged 8,980 views a month recently.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 79 | 45% |
| Reader love | 3 | 20% |
| Being read right now | 73 | 15% |
| Attention | 85 | 20% |
Questions about Intermezzo
When was Intermezzo published?
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney was first published in 2024.
Was Intermezzo one of the best books of 2024?
Intermezzo is #20 on BookWard's Best Books of 2024, out of 33 2024 books that cleared our data bar. 300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; its Wikipedia page averaged 8,980 views a month recently.
Why is Intermezzo on the Best Books of 2024 list?
300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; its Wikipedia page averaged 8,980 views a month recently.
More of the best books of 2024
- The Let Them Theory Mel Robbins, #1
- The Tainted Cup Robert Jackson Bennett, #2
- Lights Out Navessa Allen, #3
- The Women Kristin Hannah, #4
- Funny Story Emily Henry, #5
- The Wedding People Alison Espach, #6
See the full Best Books of 2024, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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