BOOKSHOPS IN IRELAND have been gearing up for what promises to be a busy day with Irish author Sally Rooney’s new novel Intermezzo going on sale this morning. 

Shops have been weighing up whether they should open early to meet the demand and shift some copies during rush hour today. 

“The buzz will be mighty,” said Lily Keoghan of Waterstones in Cork city.

“We’ve always been massive Sally Rooney fans,” she said of the staff there.

Last time Rooney released a book, her novel Beautiful World: Where Are You, was “a really fun day”, Keoghan said, adding that not many books come with this kind of attention. 

In fact, a Harry Potter book release may have been the only comparable event, Keoghan said. 

“There’s no bigger publishing event this year.” 

Waterstones will have some “goodies” for the first few customers in the door this morning, she said. They also have a limited number of special editions that feature an extra short story. 

Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street in Dublin city centre are opening at 8am – an hour earlier than normal – in anticipation of the high demand for the acclaimed author’s fourth novel.

“The build up has been quite exciting,” said shop manager Tony Hayes. 

Pre-sale orders, he said, have been particularly strong and the shop has stocked up on roughly 1,000 copies in advance of what is expecting to be a bumper day of sales.

“We’ve gone heavy on it,” Hayes said, adding that the shop also expects the novel to be one of the marquee books this Christmas. 

Rooney’s previous works have earned her an avid following not just in Ireland but around the world. Two of her novels, Normal People and Conversations With Friends, have been adapted in the form of television shows. 

But Hayes said the interest in Intermezzo has been more intense than for her previous novels, which he puts down to the glowing reviews it has received. 

The Guardian called it “utterly perfect”, The Irish Times described it as “bold, adventurous and captivating”, while the Financial Times said it was “a return to exceptional form”. 

Not everyone is heaping praise on Intermezzo though; a review in the Irish Independent criticised it for lacking a female perspective.  

The story follows two grieving brothers as they struggle with the death of their father. 

The fact that the book is being released on a Tuesday has left some unsure about how to deal with the launch, said Tom Hoban, a manager at Dubray Books on Grafton Street in Dublin, who described it as “a bit of an odd one”.

He said he has “a basement full to the brim” with copies of the book.

Hoban said that while Dubray normally opens at 9am, he might make the call to let Rooney fans in sometime after he gets in at 7.30am. 

He expects it to be a busy day all day though, and says the shop will have some extra staff on hand to meet the demand.

Hodges Figgis will be doing the same. Tony Hayes said that a midweek launch is preferable, as it means people can pick up a copy early on their way to work or college. 

He said a Tuesday morning launch makes particular sense for a Sally Rooney book, as her readership is made up largely of young adults.

Louisa Earls of Books Upstairs in Dublin said they were “really excited” about the release.

“All of us here have read the advance copy Faber sent us, and we all agree it’s her best book yet.

“As soon as the book went up for pre-order, we had dozens of orders come through straight away and they haven’t let up since.”

Books Upstairs is opening two hours early, at 8am, and any customers who purchases a copy between then and 10am will get a free coffee. 

“There’s also lots of fantastic limited edition merch that Faber have sent us, so the early birds will be first in line for lots of Intermezzo tote bags, tshirts, etc!”