Scenes from Sally Rooney Intermezzo Toronto book launch [Video]

By Katie Connell Special to the Star

With moments until midnight on a recent Monday evening, a crowd of stylish millennials and Gen Zs buzzed with anticipation for a work of Irish contemporary fiction. At Queen Books in Leslieville the countdown was on for the release of Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo”: all eyes were on a digital timer that ticked down 10 seconds until the novel could be officially purchased. Guests who had been mingling in the stacks for three hours got a second wind. Tasselled kazoos were passed around. Some started chanting the author’s name as if trying to summon her spirit. One customer raised the roof. Meanwhile, on BookTok, influencers unboxed their advance galleys like sacred relics.

This amount of fanfare is usually reserved for young adult …