Quotation Study: Intermezzo, Sally Rooney
On reader's misunderstanding of Sally Rooney...
This is not necessarily a review—I just love analysing and unpacking quotes, sometimes even individual words within them. However, as a general rule, if I underline lots of quotes, it’s usually a highly rated book!
These are studies of quotes within certain novels—either unpacking larger themes or simply exploring how each quote makes me feel on its own. I like applying quotes to my life, using them to articulate feelings I’ve never known how to describe. So, welcome to Quotation Studies.
There’s no rhyme or reason here. Just thoughts sprawled out onto a page. It’s me enjoying language as a former literature student who misses the act of unpacking words.
This week’s focus: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.
Intermezzo might just be my favourite of Rooney's books, and I felt a real connection with Ivan. I’ve already written a deep dive on Wittgenstein’s influence in the novel, as well as Rooney's inspiration, and I’ve touched on the theme of class a lot too. I often find that people who read Rooney—clutching her novels as if they’re some sort of accessory—don’t always get the deeper class issues at play in her work. It’s something I want to dive into more, but for now, let’s focus on these quotes and the feelings they stirred in me.
"Under what condition is life endurable?"
Honestly? None. Just kidding, but I do feel like this more often than I care to admit. There are days when it feels like I’m destined for bad luck or poor timing. I’ll finally reach a place of happiness, only for something to throw it all off course. The one thing that does brighten my mood right now, though, is the spring sun. Light truly makes all the difference. I’m looking forward to the move, to those warmer evenings where I can just walk outside with my partner. Spring and summer make the simple things feel easier.
"Oh, you take conversation too seriously," she says. "Life isn’t just talking, you know."
Words have so much power over me—whether spoken or written. It’s something I’m working on, trying not to let the tone of an email or an offhand comment rattle me. At work, I feel like there’s a particular colleague who might even be trying to get under my skin, and it’s something I’ve got to shake off. I’m at a point where I need to stop taking everything so personally. I just have to remove myself from the stress because I’m honestly beyond stressed right now.
"It just does things: no one knows why. It begins for some reason to attack itself or to proliferate cells where they don’t belong. No explanation. Does the mind do that? No. Well, in the case of mental illness, he thinks, okay, sure, it can do similar things, but that’s different. Is it different?"
I can’t separate myself from the stress that I feel constantly. It’s like my mind is attacking itself.
Right now, it’s particularly bad. And the crazy thing is, I don’t even notice the stress anymore. It’s been buried so deep that I only realize it weeks later through physical symptoms—psoriasis flare-ups, IBS, or these shooting pains in my legs. It’s like my mind has turned on me, and I can’t stop it.
"Other people prefer you to suffer."
This one stings. I feel like I make myself suffer more than anyone else does. It’s something I definitely experience in my corporate job, where the culture is all about putting others down to build yourself up. It’s toxic, and all it really does is reveal the ugliness in someone’s character. It doesn’t make you a better person.
"Her quite well-organised existence."
I hope people see me like this—organised. I have my little notebook full of to-do lists, another one for my weekly writing plans, a Google calendar... Basically, every hour is accounted for. I run a tight ship, with little room for spontaneity!
"To be in the presence of her intellect: lifted into finer air. Still feels that way. Admires her in that way still, beauty of her mind."
This one really resonated with me. I hope my partner loves me for my intellect, for the beauty he sees in my mind. It might sound a bit cliché, but there’s something so profound in this line. I want to be admired for what’s inside.
"A single sycamore leaf of rich yellow colour has drifted onto her windshield. Along the gutter of the street many more leaves, red, brown, have been lifted by the wind and left to settle."
This is just a beautiful line. It perfectly captures the essence of autumn—those crisp days when the leaves fall and everything feels a little bit more introspective.
"A mother is not an endless thing."
Such a powerful line. If you know me at all, you’ll know that mother-daughter relationships and motherhood in general were a huge part of my academic work, especially my BA and MA dissertations. This quote made me rethink what it means to be a mother. Maybe being a mother isn’t an identity that defines someone forever; maybe it’s a role you take on at certain times, like a verb, not a noun.
“See what happens. Go on in any case living
Ending on a hopeful note. Who knows what’s coming? We just have to keep living and trust that things will work out. Life’s unpredictable, but we’re still here, still pushing forward.
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