Meeting #1 — "Opening Theory" by Sally Rooney

In advance of Intermezzo's publication, Rooney's short story, "Opening Theory" — actually a chapter excerpt from her novel — appeared in The New Yorker. (By the way, this seems to be a thing now — authors publishing chapters from their upcoming books as standalone short stories.) Regardless of this marketing tactic (...or is it a strategy?), I really enjoyed this story — one about awkward people and relationships and chess — and think it suffices as a great short story in and of itself (although we can debate this!).

If you don't have access to a print version of "Opening Theory," you can listen to an audio version (read by Sally Rooney herself), for free. So let's read and discuss!

Date, time, and location: TBD. If you'd like to participate, please subscribe/sign up, or reach out via email.