Sophie's Reviews > Intermezzo

If Ramses from Love is Blind wrote a book, it’d be this.

It reads like Sally Rooney ran out of ideas and just recycled every broody thought she’s ever had. It’s two brothers, one emotionally constipated lawyer and one chess-playing loner, wandering through life like they’re in a 24/7 sad indie film. They both stare into space, talk in vague metaphors, and date women who seem equally allergic to joy, and Margaret, pops up to provide… vibes? Wisdom? Honestly, I’m not sure she even knows why she’s there.

The whole thing is beige, but like an expensive beige. Beautiful words, sure, but strung together in a way that makes you wonder if Rooney wrote this as a dare. By the halfway point, I caught myself thinking, .“Is this satire? Is she trolling us? How many ways can someone say, ‘I’m broken but interesting,’ before it stops being interesting?”.

The prose is beautiful, but in that “why are we wasting this on these people” kind of way. The sentences mean so little. So many of them. So many empty sentences.

It’s all very I’m empty but fascinating ., and somehow, despite nothing happening, it’s still exhausting.

If you love people intellectualizing their misery while doing absolutely nothing about it, this one’s for you.

It was so boring, but then the ending felt like a long boring somewhat beautiful sigh. Hence the 2 stars.

** I feel like if I had read this on a long vacation without electronics and under the sound of the rain, I might have enjoyed it more, just like how you don’t open up Headspace in the metro..