Peter and Ivan—brothers, a decade apart—have just lost their father to cancer.  Once close, now semi-estranged, they grieve independently.  Peter a confident human rights lawyer and a miserable coward, self-medicating while juggling loves old and new.  Ivan, the younger (whom I read as autistic), a chess player of missed potential, intense, tender, and in love for the first time.  Intimate and erotic, the brothers’ stories unfold amid themes of philosophy.  Intermezzo leaves one wondering—optimistically—what really matters, in the grand scheme of things.  Sally Rooney is among my favorite living writers.