Sally Rooney’s ‘Intermezzo’ Is (Finally) Here

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Sally Rooney‘s latest novel, Intermezzo, was all but guaranteed to be a hit, but the book’s rollout has pushed excitement to stratospheric levels. The buzz around the advanced reader copies (ARCs) has turned copies of the book into status symbols, with TikToks explaining how to get your hands on an ARC and Booktok and Bookstagram influencers showing off their copies. Now, Rooney’s latest is finally hitting shelves, with the book being released in print and as an ebook on Sept 24.

Intermezzo will be available as a hardcover from independent booksellers and major retailers. The book’s publisher Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (FSG) is also releasing an exclusive Barnes & Noble edition, with a unique cover.

The novel is “An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family,” according to the publisher’s notes. It follows two brothers who are navigating their grief around the passing of their father, and the different relationships they pursue.

The book’s title and chessboard-inspired cover nod to the younger brother Ivan, who is a competitive chess player. Intermezzo is the Italian word for Zwischenzug or in-between move, a term for an “unexpected move that poses a severe threat and forces an immediate response,” according to Chess.com.

Intermezzo is Rooney’s fourth novel, following 2021’s Beautiful World, Where Are You, and her debut Conversations with Friends. Her second novel, Normal People, was adapted into a hit series on Hulu, which received widespread acclaim.

Rooney told the New York Times that she did not accept offers to adapt her third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, wanting to “let the book be its own thing for a while.” That’s likely bad news for any fans awaiting an adaptation of Intermezzo, but readers can order the novel now.