Intermezzo, Sally Rooney — Chapter 4

We’re back with Margaret and her friend Anna who it turns out do have a good friendship. And it also turns out that “zero thoughts on Chapter 12” is actually 25 minutes of thoughts on Sally Rooney erupting Kathryn’s feelings on being down bad for someone, moms and imperative to unpack your friends’ relationships with them eternally, and of course bad communication. Send us an email if you have any idea what Kathryn is talking about at the end. 

Whew! Kathryn and Hannah get 👏🏼 into 👏🏼  it 👏🏼 on this episode. Peter’s behavior leaves us with MUCH to talk about/disagree on. Is there ever really an ending to analyzing a complicated mans decisions? 🙄 

It’s an analysis heavy episode and we ALMOST manage to avoid all discussions of sex, even when the chapter is largely about it.  Ivans communication impresses Hannah but makes Kathryn angry, Kathryn discovered she has no empathy for animals, and Hannah chimes in with some complicated-mom expertise. We are in the weeds, people! Join us!

Naomi’s got it so bad. She likes (loves?) a guy who is giving her weird and confusing mixed signals (maybe he loves her, maybe he just wants to control her, maybe he doesn’t know what love is???) But who among us hasn’t been in this situation? It’s an absolutely devastating tragedy that we (Naomi, Kathryn, Hannah) can’t all sit at a pool together and laugh/try to make sense of Peter’s dumb antics. But we try our best to re-create that on this episode — and, though we try our best, turns out Peter might just be a guy who doesn’t really make sense. 

For the literate girlies — big feelings girls who want to discuss if life is meaningful or meaningless, if God has anything to do with it, what it means to fall in love, and (also!) the tactileness (tactility?) of Sally Rooney’s writing. Think with us!

But why does Sally Rooney have to do this to us? An absolutely crushing chapter between Peter and Ivan, woven together perfectly by our genius writer. We go heavy on the English class-ness on this episode, but how can we not? Our girl just gave a masterclass in setting up readers expectations, and we must talk about it!!

Okay how about a moment of silence for the lovely Naomi? For how cool she is despite the fact that Peter’s behavior with her is giving Casa Amor. For the way those cops at the jail absolutely couldn’t wait to be rid of her. And for the way she is absolutely team Sylvia. 

Welcome to Sally Rooney 101. Today we discuss people who love each other deeply and can’t figure out how to communicate about it. And it’s soooo frustrating we just have to chat about it. Plus: true crime corner, “playing house”, and Kathryn and Hannah talking alllll the way around the mechanics of sex without really saying anything.

In this episode, we consider Ivan’s and Margaret’s inverse relationships to isolation: Ivan, once solitary, finds companionship and a sense of completion with Margaret; Margaret, formerly held tightly by close friends and her small town community, finds herself unable to confide in anyone about her affair with Ivan. Can you imagine hooking up with a new random guy and not telling anyone?? Plus, we’re processing Kathryn’s breakup, Waymos, the value of millennial labor, and driving technique as a representation of one’s approach to life.

Guys, she did it. Sally Rooney got us to talk about money and power, the male loneliness epidemic, and incels. Kinda surprised it took us three chapters to get here! Our advice? Fellas, always splurge on the seafood tower.