Matty

Great little read. Initially a bit inscrutable but reveals itself in a delightful way. Helen DeWitt, you're batting 1.000.

Funny to describe a book that lives up to its content warnings on here as "breezy" but here we are. Light 3.5, goes exactly where you expect it to but stays entertaining on the way there. My first Moshfegh, not crazy about her writing style but maybe I'll take another crack at her in the future.

Reading the first half as someone who was there, who saw it all, and reflects on the time spent with a mixture of wasteful disdain and gratitude for the person it's made me, is an interesting experience. Especially now that twitter in many ways is dead, the first half feels like a museum exhibit, preserving the energy of what once was. That alone doesn't make for a compelling read. I wept through the second half. Lockwood captures a rare thing here. How lucky we are to share love in this world.

In terms of Sally Rooney, I adored Normal People, really disliked Conversations With Friends, and tolerated Beautiful World, Where Are You? (albeit with heavy caveats and criticisms). For me, Intermezzo falls much closer to the Normal People end of the scale. The leads retain the grating frustrations of her other novels, but there's sincerity and heart here that helps push it through for me, in a way that BWWAY distinctly failed to.

Good return to reading for me! Glad to be back. Going to write goodreads reviews like I'm on letterboxd (short, stupid, poorly written, frequently too sincere)

Reread to solidify its placement in my top 4 (placement absolutely solidified).

A truly remarkable book that remains unlike anything I've ever read. So funny and heartfelt and awe-inspiring. A genuine masterpiece.