The new novel by Sally Rooney is set in Dublin after the COVID-19 pandemic. Peter Koubek, 32, is a commanding, eloquent, and highly competitive barrister. As the eldest son, he insists on giving the eulogy for his father, who has died of cancer as the story begins. Peter is very successful but troubled by his relationships with women. His much younger brother Ivan, 22, attends the funeral in a shabby second-hand suit, with braces on his teeth and a wild black mane making him appear ghastly. Their mother, Christine, divorced their father when Ivan was 5, and Ivan was much closer to his Slovakian immigrant father. Ivan resents his older brother’s domineering nature and is disheartened by his chess ranking: despite dedicating himself to chess competitions since 16, he hasn’t advanced much, and during his father’s illness, his performance declined.
Peter describes Ivan as ‘borderline autistic’ – not diagnosed, but socially and empathetically challenged. Christine, their mother, has remarried a prosperous businessman and inherited her husband’s old house in Kildare. She also has her ex-husband’s whippet, which she doesn’t want to keep.
Peter is very successful, especially in court, but his personal life is chaotic. He’s been seeing a much younger woman, Naomi, for the past eight months. Naomi is a university student with no money who squats in an abandoned house, occasionally using OnlyFans for extra cash, and allows Peter to pay some of her bills. She’s very intelligent, socially aware, and doesn’t expect much from Peter, who has shown no signs of committing. Peter’s heart is bound to his longtime love, Sylvia, his soulmate. She is his age, a university lecturer, and they see each other regularly. Their relationship is intimate but nonsexual: years ago, Sylvia was in a devastating car accident and is in near-constant pain, unable to endure penetrative sex. Sylvia broke up with him years ago, insisting he see other women. But they remain best friends and confidantes, and as Ivan says, ‘she is like family.’ Peter has had a strained relationship with Ivan since Sylvia’s accident, as Ivan emotionally withdrew during Peter’s distress over Sylvia, which deeply hurt Peter, who had always protected his younger brother.
Ivan is invited to a chess competition in a small town in Western Ireland. The chess club members play Ivan simultaneously, and he takes the games seriously, though he tells the organiser, Margaret, that he only books competitions where he is much higher ranked than anyone present. Yet Margaret sees him helping a ten-year-old girl afterwards, pointing out the moves she should have made and encouraging her. Margaret, 35, is a beautiful and poised divorced woman who books events for the community arts center. She is fulfilled by her job but not in her life. She is immediately attracted to Ivan: his tall, slender build and angular face seem spiritual to her, and his diffident manner she finds sexually alluring. When she drives him back to his accommodation, he invites her into his room and they make love. This is a transformative experience for both: for Ivan, it’s his first genuine sexual or romantic connection, and he is joyful in knowing he’s pleased Margaret, while for Margaret, it’s deeply moving. She doesn’t want to admit she’s smitten, due to the age difference and her position as a divorced woman in town, but soon Ivan is visiting every weekend and staying at her cottage.
Peter, meanwhile, is falling apart. Despite winning an important case, he can’t stop drinking or using drugs. Naomi is arrested when her squat is raided, and Peter collects her, taking her home. He is nurturing but emotionally distant, and Naomi senses that ‘Sylvia’ is his main partner, while also realising something is amiss. Peter keeps his mother Christine at a distance and refuses to spend Christmas with her now that his father is dead. He argues with Ivan over lunch when Ivan admits his new girlfriend is 35, implying he’s being manipulated and that only a ‘weird’ woman would be with him. Ivan cuts off contact, partly to protect himself and partly to punish Peter. Peter feels guilty but can’t reach Ivan. Ivan can’t understand Peter’s condescension or why he’s not with Sylvia – he remembers them as a happy couple when he was a young teen. Meanwhile, Peter can’t resist making love to Naomi and making her comfortable in his flat, but refuses to introduce her to anyone in his life.
Margaret knows her alcoholic ex-husband is still in town, and her mother Bridget has taken his side in the divorce. Bridget is highly judgmental and didn’t want Margaret to marry Richard Fitzpatrick, and now thinks she shouldn’t have divorced him. But Richard was too much for her and she reached her limit. Margaret worries that Ivan, being much younger, will tire of her and find someone his own age, while also damaging her reputation and relationships in town. But she can’t resist Ivan and their tender connection.
Peter goes to Sylvia in distress and finds her in severe pain. She asks him to pick up a prescription and leave it at her door. He uses his key to enter, finds her sick on her living room floor, and cares for her, taking her to bed. As she feels better, he tells her he’s always loved her. Sylvia says she loves him too but can’t bear for him to be with her as a partner due to her pain and inability to have children. They embrace, and Peter asks her to marry him. Sylvia seems to agree, but we sense she’s also carried away with emotion and regret. Peter returns to his flat and breaks up with Naomi, sending her to his father’s house in Kildare.
Ivan has started winning matches and his play has improved since being with Margaret. He’s happy for the first time in years. Christine insists he take the whippet that belonged to him and his father, or she’ll send it to the pound. He takes the dog to the house in Kildare, where he finds Naomi. They have a truthful conversation, with Ivan angry at Peter’s judgment of his relationship with Margaret when Peter was seeing a 23-year-old. Naomi reaches Ivan in a way few others have. Ivan stays at the house and Naomi goes out with friends.
Peter goes to Sylvia, telling her he ended things with Naomi. Sylvia is displeased; she never meant for him to leave his girlfriend and doesn’t want to marry Peter. She wants their relationship to stay the same: as friends and confidantes. But Peter knows she both wants and doesn’t want him, has rejected him yet kept him close. She is an ideal he can’t recapture. Angry, he gets drunk and goes to the house in Kildare to see Naomi. Finding only Ivan and the whippet, Peter lashes out, leading to a physical altercation. Ivan, shaken, asks Margaret if he can come to her. She agrees. Ivan drives to Margaret’s with the dog, while Margaret decides that despite the gossip, their happiness is worth it.
Peter, having spent the night at Christine’s, returns to his flat in a near-suicidal state. Seeing Sylvia and Naomi in his living room, he faints. They revive him and suggest finding a way for the three of them to coexist. Peter takes sick leave to recover.
A month later, Peter learns from his mother that Ivan is playing in an important chess match. He goes to the hall but waits outside to avoid disrupting Ivan’s concentration. Margaret is also there, and Peter is struck by her beauty and normalcy. They talk about Ivan affectionately, and Margaret charms him. Ivan wins and emerges, and Peter apologizes, telling Ivan he loves him. The brothers reconcile, especially since Ivan sees Peter and Margaret as friends. They embrace and make plans to spend Christmas together.