Though Kureishi's stories revolve around the labyrinthine racial, social, and political tensions of post-Empire London, he always approached his characters with warm humor. But Intimacy marks a departure for Kureishi. The insights are as sharp, the dialogue as jaunty, and the characters as well-rounded as in anything he has written. And yet this blistering portrait of a marriage in its last few hours is anything but amusing. In his previous works, Kureishi's characters live in chaotic worlds torn apart by changing social mores, political injustice, and racial misunderstandings.
Intimacy is less optimistic.
Jay is fatally trapped within the paradoxes of modern relationships. And as he struggles to understand the failure of his marriage and to come to terms with his terrible decision to leave his beloved sons, the reader is given a tour of the dark side of the male psyche, as well as the liberal, liberated world view that has been celebrated in Kureishi's other works. What makes this book worth reading is the depth of Jay's insights into the desires and motivations of one contemporary male, and his brutal honesty in relating them. The book also raises a number of vital questions. Kureishi has a rare and precious gift for character.