Well I for one am delighted to find another person who didn't think her depictions of neurodiversity landed. (Part of my grace comes from enjoying her other books, and being a publicly known author myself, albeit on a far smaller scale than she is).
It's so hard to know what she was actually going for, and, as I mentioned in the article, I would have liked a bigger 'payoff' with Peter that could have helped to clarify this. If I'm being generous I think she is playing with her readers' perceptions of "normality" and "neurodivergence" but, as you said it doesn't quite land, not least because Ivan is reduced to such a flat stereotype.
Reading your piece now and I love that you went into the really regressive cishet attitudes around sex. I do think that Peter is the most successful attempt to interrogate ideas of “normalcy” in the book (masking, polyamory, etc), but damn does it get lost in the weeds of some really on-the-nose, less-examined stuff.
Apologies for the shameless self plug but I've seen so few people engaging with or even commenting on these aspects of the novel, so it was great to read your essay!
We need all types of GOOD neurodivergent representation, by neurodivergent authors, showing the full range of the spectrum.
I’ve read a lot of memoirs by neurodivergent authors, articles, fiction, and non-fiction books, and some of them really resonate with me, and some of them don’t at all. It means so much when you can see a part of yourself reflected in another person’s work. It’s really helped me become comfortable in my own skin and and develop my true identity as a late diagnosed individual.
Thank you for this case study. I truly hope it contributes to an improvement of neurodivergent characterization in the media.
Devon, many years ago, before I had any clue I was autistic, I wrote a sci-fi novel where the protagonist was a little boy who was super, super obsessed with science, especially chemistry. He's way smarter than me (a genius), but I put a lot of myself into him, as I was quite obsessed with science at the time, and chemistry was my favorite of the three natural sciences. His high achievements, was like an idealized version of how I wished myself to be.
Well, some friends who read my book, said my protagonist sounded like me, and that he sounded autistic. I could see what they meant, though I didn't believe I was autistic at the time, since I was too sociable. (Yes, I had no idea about masked autistics, nor did I know about all the different phenotypes!) But LOLL this is similar to how I "accidentally" wrote trans characters into another novel, before I knew I was trans. It's always fun when you see your characters reveal things about yourself that you only discover later. But the dots are easy to connect once you see them.
I especially love your point about how us ND folks are often surrounded by other ND folks, and that many NT authors don't write about our friendships and clashes with other neurodivergent people. Some early realization ND folks, may believe that they don't know any fellow ND folks (or very few). But the more familiar you get with ND traits, the easier it is to recognize them in the people around you! There were people in my life I somehow I assumed were NT (like how many queer folks assume we're the only non-straight ones in the room, when that is not true). But later, I learned that I have plenty of company!
Always by autistic writers. I have two grad degrees in writing, creative and for industry, but the problem is the entire industry is corrupt, privileged, and requires you to have a massive web of connections and relationships. The ones they pick to write for them are the ones that will produce what they “think” we should be. The recent film short, “Once More, Like Rain Man” seems like it takes some of this on, but from an actors perspective. For us, by us, period. Ask liberal academics if white people should write Black stories or if men should write women’s stories, but they all think they speak for us. Zero difference between a NT writing about the ASD experience and white writing as if they know the Black experience.
I am an autistic writer, and, while I don't always depict autistic people in my work, I try to depict them in the multi-dimensional way you are suggesting they be interpreted.
Interesting to read this generous take on Intermezzo and the fact you gave more credit to Rooney than I was willing, but then maybe I'm just a begrudger ;) https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2025/01/31/rain-man-for-millennials-and-other-adventures-in-ableism-with-sally-rooney/
Well I for one am delighted to find another person who didn't think her depictions of neurodiversity landed. (Part of my grace comes from enjoying her other books, and being a publicly known author myself, albeit on a far smaller scale than she is).
It's so hard to know what she was actually going for, and, as I mentioned in the article, I would have liked a bigger 'payoff' with Peter that could have helped to clarify this. If I'm being generous I think she is playing with her readers' perceptions of "normality" and "neurodivergence" but, as you said it doesn't quite land, not least because Ivan is reduced to such a flat stereotype.
Reading your piece now and I love that you went into the really regressive cishet attitudes around sex. I do think that Peter is the most successful attempt to interrogate ideas of “normalcy” in the book (masking, polyamory, etc), but damn does it get lost in the weeds of some really on-the-nose, less-examined stuff.
Apologies for the shameless self plug but I've seen so few people engaging with or even commenting on these aspects of the novel, so it was great to read your essay!
I don't consider this a self-plug, more an opportunity to further the conversation. Which I'm really thankful for.
Thank you, it's always great to read your work!
We need all types of GOOD neurodivergent representation, by neurodivergent authors, showing the full range of the spectrum.
I’ve read a lot of memoirs by neurodivergent authors, articles, fiction, and non-fiction books, and some of them really resonate with me, and some of them don’t at all. It means so much when you can see a part of yourself reflected in another person’s work. It’s really helped me become comfortable in my own skin and and develop my true identity as a late diagnosed individual.
Thank you for this case study. I truly hope it contributes to an improvement of neurodivergent characterization in the media.
Devon, many years ago, before I had any clue I was autistic, I wrote a sci-fi novel where the protagonist was a little boy who was super, super obsessed with science, especially chemistry. He's way smarter than me (a genius), but I put a lot of myself into him, as I was quite obsessed with science at the time, and chemistry was my favorite of the three natural sciences. His high achievements, was like an idealized version of how I wished myself to be.
Well, some friends who read my book, said my protagonist sounded like me, and that he sounded autistic. I could see what they meant, though I didn't believe I was autistic at the time, since I was too sociable. (Yes, I had no idea about masked autistics, nor did I know about all the different phenotypes!) But LOLL this is similar to how I "accidentally" wrote trans characters into another novel, before I knew I was trans. It's always fun when you see your characters reveal things about yourself that you only discover later. But the dots are easy to connect once you see them.
I especially love your point about how us ND folks are often surrounded by other ND folks, and that many NT authors don't write about our friendships and clashes with other neurodivergent people. Some early realization ND folks, may believe that they don't know any fellow ND folks (or very few). But the more familiar you get with ND traits, the easier it is to recognize them in the people around you! There were people in my life I somehow I assumed were NT (like how many queer folks assume we're the only non-straight ones in the room, when that is not true). But later, I learned that I have plenty of company!
Oh my gosh, Sieran, all my pre-self-realization fictional protagonists were Autistic as hellll too. And major eggs, pre-transition.
Yes! Pre-realization autistic and trans eggs! 😍 That Eureka moment where you connect all the dots is wonderful haha.
You must look into Dr. Brandy Schillace. Non-binary & autistic; fantastic https://www.instagram.com/b_schillace?igsh=MXRtYTQwZWtjdzhqag==
As a non-binary autistic person I felt her character was the first I had ever related to in fiction🫶📚🌀
Amazing! This was so interesting and rewarding to read - thank you so much!
Always by autistic writers. I have two grad degrees in writing, creative and for industry, but the problem is the entire industry is corrupt, privileged, and requires you to have a massive web of connections and relationships. The ones they pick to write for them are the ones that will produce what they “think” we should be. The recent film short, “Once More, Like Rain Man” seems like it takes some of this on, but from an actors perspective. For us, by us, period. Ask liberal academics if white people should write Black stories or if men should write women’s stories, but they all think they speak for us. Zero difference between a NT writing about the ASD experience and white writing as if they know the Black experience.
I am an autistic writer, and, while I don't always depict autistic people in my work, I try to depict them in the multi-dimensional way you are suggesting they be interpreted.