Intermezzo

This novel revolves around two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek, who seem to have little in common. After the death of their father, they struggle with grief and their inability to connect with each other. Peter, a successful lawyer in his early thirties, is involved with two women at the same time: Sylvia, the first love of his life, and Naomi, a much younger college student who depends on him for money. Ivan is a 22-year-old professional chess player. He sees himself as socially awkward and the opposite of his elder brother. At a chess tournament he meets Margaret, a much older divorcee with her own problems, and they begin a passionate affair. The book follows Peter and Ivan while they learn to deal with their relationships with women, as well as their relationship with each other. This moving story is set in Dublin and small-town Ireland.