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The Intimates
The Intimates is about Maize and Robbie, who meet in high school and hold fast to each other as they stumble through amorous adventures, first jobs, and complicated relationships with family members here and abroad. It is a powerful and compassionate debut novel that explores the romance of young friendship, the freighted bonds between parents and children, and the thrills and mesmerizing illusions of sex. Lovely, perceptive, funny, and vividly erotic, in The Intimates, "Sassone has created a friendship so deep, so utterly believable, that you feel jealous of Maize and Robbie’s closeness---and of Sassone’s easy talent" ( New York Press ).
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Sassone
2 books5 followersRalph Sassone studied writing at Columbia and Brown Universities. A former editor at The Village Voice, he has worked as a freelance writer or editor for several publications including The New York Times, Details, Newsweek, Newsday, and FiveChapters.com. He has taught at Brown, Haverford College, and Vassar. He lives in New York City and upstate New York. The Intimates is his first novel. More information is available at www.Ralphsassone.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 10, 2011
The Intimates draws on the fine line between confidence and fear of failure. We seem to tell ourselves on a daily basis that we are the only ones in the world filled with self doubt, that everyone else has it figured out and that we should put on an act of false confidence least we be found out. Of course nothing could be further from the truth, but that has never stopped human behavior at all.
This book, feels released at an especially appropriate time, when Millennials, as we are called, are faced with a grave economy and very few prospects that promise the lifetime of safety our parents enjoyed. Centered around two twenty somethings, Maize and Robbie, and the friendship the envelops them we spend the book going through both of these characters heads and the self doubt that rules and sometimes destroys them.
Sassone, a first time author, shows tremendous confidence in his writing. The details, dialogue and character development are all clearly from a pro.
Where the book suffers is that it suffers from too much stylistic ambition. Divided into thirds we do not see Maize and Robbie interact until the final (and to be fair largest) act. True this lets us know the individuals in this relationship better but it also deprives us of what is promised by the title to be the main center.
There is a saying that I will not attribute here, that if you have one great friend count yourself lucky. But when you reach true intimacy with a friend, you've reached something else, a human connection with absolute trust. And then you're not only lucky, you've achieved something divine. This book is a valuable if small piece of that.
This book, feels released at an especially appropriate time, when Millennials, as we are called, are faced with a grave economy and very few prospects that promise the lifetime of safety our parents enjoyed. Centered around two twenty somethings, Maize and Robbie, and the friendship the envelops them we spend the book going through both of these characters heads and the self doubt that rules and sometimes destroys them.
Sassone, a first time author, shows tremendous confidence in his writing. The details, dialogue and character development are all clearly from a pro.
Where the book suffers is that it suffers from too much stylistic ambition. Divided into thirds we do not see Maize and Robbie interact until the final (and to be fair largest) act. True this lets us know the individuals in this relationship better but it also deprives us of what is promised by the title to be the main center.
There is a saying that I will not attribute here, that if you have one great friend count yourself lucky. But when you reach true intimacy with a friend, you've reached something else, a human connection with absolute trust. And then you're not only lucky, you've achieved something divine. This book is a valuable if small piece of that.
May 7, 2011
I love the cover of this book, I just straight up think it's fun and interesting.
And the novel is not bad. Which is linguistically not a great sign for mr. sassone.
I mean there were some moments were it needed a little cpr, I mean to write an entire novel about the relationship between fag and hag and never really address/admit in the text that is what you are doing is a little bit strange as far as I'm concerned, and lets be honest you gave great openings, and when he calls her his special friend!!!! talk about what that really means not like half assed we talk at night comments, talk about the "romantic" bond. basically read a book about the relationship, it's so much more complicated than presented here.
too much sugar, not enough muscle
And the novel is not bad. Which is linguistically not a great sign for mr. sassone.
I mean there were some moments were it needed a little cpr, I mean to write an entire novel about the relationship between fag and hag and never really address/admit in the text that is what you are doing is a little bit strange as far as I'm concerned, and lets be honest you gave great openings, and when he calls her his special friend!!!! talk about what that really means not like half assed we talk at night comments, talk about the "romantic" bond. basically read a book about the relationship, it's so much more complicated than presented here.
too much sugar, not enough muscle
September 10, 2022
There were parts of this is really liked, and parts where j feel like I was lost in the descriptions of items or scenes that I felt a little lost. I wish there was more at the end, I felt like we had just gotten started on the complicated relationship between Robbie and maize. Maybe this just wasn’t the story for me…
August 22, 2021
The characters were vaguely sketched in places, compellingly in others; the travails of postgrad twenty-somethings are real and engaging, but their struggles with their love lives were something else.
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July 25, 2011I really enjoyed this book, but it is really difficult to describe. Reading it taught me a valuable lesson—the description of a book on its inside cover isn't always accurate.
The Intimates poses an interesting question: can you write a story about a friendship when in two-thirds of the book, the friends aren't ever together? Robbie and Maize became friends in high school. Once they removed the sexual component from their friendship (as Robbie began accepting his homosexuality), their relationship grew, until Robbie moved away, leaving Maize fairly rudderless. They reunited in college, where Robbie described their relationship as serving as each other's "human diaries," the person to whom each can divulge their most personal or painful insights or secrets.
The book is divided into thirds. The first third follows Maize in her senior year of high school, where she is longing to do something different but is too afraid to act; the second third follows Robbie on his trip to Italy to visit his estranged father and his girlfriend, where he makes what he thinks is a shocking discovery but is saved in just the nick of time from divulging it; and the last third follows the two as they, along with his new boyfriend, help Robbie's mother pack to move to a new house. This is a simplistic description of the multi-layered plot, which explores how friendship can at times be both an anchor and a weight.
This is a very well-written and intriguing book. Some of the language Sassone used was absolutely beautiful, and parts of the book definitely tugged at my emotions. I felt that he created two immensely complex, if not particularly likeable, characters. And that, fundamentally, was one of the two reasons I liked this book but didn't love it. I had trouble finding a great deal of sympathy (or empathy, frankly) for either Robbie or Maize most of the time. Sassone also didn't give me enough evidence that Robbie and Maize actually cared for each other the way you're told they do. But that being said, the book has gotten stellar customer reviews on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, so I'd say it's worth reading.
The Intimates poses an interesting question: can you write a story about a friendship when in two-thirds of the book, the friends aren't ever together? Robbie and Maize became friends in high school. Once they removed the sexual component from their friendship (as Robbie began accepting his homosexuality), their relationship grew, until Robbie moved away, leaving Maize fairly rudderless. They reunited in college, where Robbie described their relationship as serving as each other's "human diaries," the person to whom each can divulge their most personal or painful insights or secrets.
The book is divided into thirds. The first third follows Maize in her senior year of high school, where she is longing to do something different but is too afraid to act; the second third follows Robbie on his trip to Italy to visit his estranged father and his girlfriend, where he makes what he thinks is a shocking discovery but is saved in just the nick of time from divulging it; and the last third follows the two as they, along with his new boyfriend, help Robbie's mother pack to move to a new house. This is a simplistic description of the multi-layered plot, which explores how friendship can at times be both an anchor and a weight.
This is a very well-written and intriguing book. Some of the language Sassone used was absolutely beautiful, and parts of the book definitely tugged at my emotions. I felt that he created two immensely complex, if not particularly likeable, characters. And that, fundamentally, was one of the two reasons I liked this book but didn't love it. I had trouble finding a great deal of sympathy (or empathy, frankly) for either Robbie or Maize most of the time. Sassone also didn't give me enough evidence that Robbie and Maize actually cared for each other the way you're told they do. But that being said, the book has gotten stellar customer reviews on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, so I'd say it's worth reading.
February 20, 2011
Reading this book, I couldn't help but compare it to a Cannes film that everybody tells you is so amazing, but after you watch it, you just don't get it. I just didn't get this book.
It was described as a book about a platonic friendship. It's told in three parts. One part about the girl, Maize, one part about the boy, Robbie, and the final part about them together at Robbie's mother's house. Ugh, I think those separate parts were to help you get to know the characters better, but it didn't! It just didn't GO anywhere. Perhaps a bit at the end did I *barely* start to feel and understand the friendship between these two, but it was too little, too late.
I really only finished this book hoping that it would all come together, but closing it I felt just as lost and disjointed as I did throughout. Very disappointing. Story was just okay, but I will say that the author writes beautifully. That was the only saving grace of this novel.
It was described as a book about a platonic friendship. It's told in three parts. One part about the girl, Maize, one part about the boy, Robbie, and the final part about them together at Robbie's mother's house. Ugh, I think those separate parts were to help you get to know the characters better, but it didn't! It just didn't GO anywhere. Perhaps a bit at the end did I *barely* start to feel and understand the friendship between these two, but it was too little, too late.
I really only finished this book hoping that it would all come together, but closing it I felt just as lost and disjointed as I did throughout. Very disappointing. Story was just okay, but I will say that the author writes beautifully. That was the only saving grace of this novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2011
This is a story of Maize and Robbie. It travels through the end of their high school years into their early adulthood. I enjoyed reading about Maize sometimes, and other times I found the book completely boring and uninteresting. I tried to like it and understand what it was supposed to be about, however, I found it unsettling because there is no resolution to the emotional conflict that the characters faced. Whether it be conflict with their parents or sexuality it was presented and then just hung there.
I also didn't care for the way the story was written in that an event would occur and the book would continue and then a few pages later it would go back and explain the event.
I am a sucker for a romance novel and I like to read funny books, but I would like to think of myself as one who steps outside of the box and explores other types of literature at times. And I just didn't get this one.
I also didn't care for the way the story was written in that an event would occur and the book would continue and then a few pages later it would go back and explain the event.
I am a sucker for a romance novel and I like to read funny books, but I would like to think of myself as one who steps outside of the box and explores other types of literature at times. And I just didn't get this one.
April 16, 2013
I really liked this book. I thought it was brave and bold. The writing is elegant and the erotic scenes are explicit without being pornographic. This author creates two interesting young characters and follows their separate and intertwining stories over several years. What made this book feel more REAL to me than most novels is the way it shows how personal progress often actually happens: with one or two steps forward, one or two steps backward, and times when the forward and backward steps are practically the same thing. This author shows that change is a quirky, ambivalent, unpredictable process that can be so gradual or delicate you might not notice it's happened (because a lot of it is internal)or understand what it means. A lot happens to the characters here, only not in the most obvious ways. This book has drama and humor, but the uncompromising honesty of it is what I admired the most.
December 6, 2010
A superb, funny, sexy, and original new novel about two friends whose devotion to each other is more satisfying and dependable than their other intimate involvements. The writing in this book is just plain gorgeous on every page. It has wickedly insightful observations about love and sex and romance and ambition. It also has writing so tender and moving you'll want to cry from sympathy. This author places his characters in intersting and suspenseful situations with plot developments that are twisty and unpredictable yet completely believable. This is an unusual, deep and lovely novel about the power of close friendship--and the limitations of close friendship. I am glad a friend got me an ARC. I don't think I will forget this book anytime soon.
February 11, 2012
I saw a review of this book that said it had stunning emotional insight. That reviewer couldn't have been more right. If you want to read a novel that really gets to the core of what it's like to be young and bright and sensitive and have a ridiculous crush on someone, or to make love for the first time, or to struggle with parents you both love and resent, or to just try to figure out who are you and what you really want in life (while you're embarrassed not to know it), check out this book. This writer has a gift for evoking complicated, often ambivalent feelings through original and beautiful metaphors and the two main characters, Maize and Robbie, are extremely interesting and likeable best friends. (Maize especially.)It's also full of dry and sly humor.
February 13, 2012
I had seen this on the table at a book store and thought it looked good, so I requested it from the library. I'm sort of surprised it wasn't in the YA section, as the writing was good, but not terribly complex, and the story itself was also fairly straightforward.
I like reading about teenagers confused about love, which was basically the whole idea here, so I found it engaging enough to get the whole way through in a day, but I wasn't exactly reveling in any deep insights or moved by the author's words. I was a little disappointed by the lack of resolution, but it was a completely reasonable outcome for these characters trying to navigate parental and personal relationships through young adulthood.
Bottom line: An easy and enjoyable read but nothing to write home about.
I like reading about teenagers confused about love, which was basically the whole idea here, so I found it engaging enough to get the whole way through in a day, but I wasn't exactly reveling in any deep insights or moved by the author's words. I was a little disappointed by the lack of resolution, but it was a completely reasonable outcome for these characters trying to navigate parental and personal relationships through young adulthood.
Bottom line: An easy and enjoyable read but nothing to write home about.
February 25, 2012
This beautiful novel is the kind of book that will appeal to fans of Alice Munro, Michael Cunningham, Marilynne Robinson and Charles Baxter: classically structured, elegantly composed, and illuminating fiction that burrows deep into the lives of its characters and guides readers toward a fresh and heightened understanding of ordinary human emotions. Although the protagonists, Maize and Robbie, couldn't be from a more different background than mine, I sometimes felt, while reading about their odd (sometimes oddly funny) experiences, like I was reading a private journal about my own intimate relationships. Sassone locates the universal in their particular stories and his book has a quiet yet undeniable power.
March 16, 2011
In The Intimates we meet two young people who become the closest of friends despite being polar opposites in almost every imaginable way. Their story is told by going into slices of their lives, a day or a week here and there, allowing us to interpret what’s really in their hearts by the details of these moments, and by how they see each other. Each of the three stories (one hers, one his, one theirs) is enjoyable enough by itself, but in the end it’s not quite enough. We don’t know enough, so we can’t care enough. The characters are more intimate with each other than we can ever be with them.
February 25, 2011
An Artful Debut: Ralph Sassone's first book reveals an author with a knack for describing the human condition with originality and humor AND, most importantly, for writing a story that is enjoyable to read cover to cover. While the main thrust of the book is the unique relationship between Maize and Robbie, a whole host of interesting minor characters from places ranging from an Italian hotel to a suburban high school to a hyper-aggressive NYC real estate office each have a role to play in telling the story. It all makes for wonderful reading.
March 22, 2012
I want to give this three and a half stars. I got sucked in really quickly in the beginning and enjoyed the high school and college parts, but once they graduated, it came off as White People Problems: whining about their jobs that they thought were disastrous but really weren't and whining about relationships that could have been decent but they pushed the people away and then wondered why there were lonely. Still, even in the last half there were moments of good stuff -- this was never horrible.
June 8, 2012
This exquisite book explores the prismatic, deeply felt world of two "best friends" whose experiences--largely happening apart from each other--both expand and contract their knowledge of themselves. A compelling strain of illicitness runs through the story, mirroring the endless compromises these young people feel they have already made and which have corrupted them before they can even begin their adult lives. Shot through with penetrating, luminous prose, this is the sort of novel we tak about when we talk about reading for pleasure.
June 8, 2012
This exquisite book explores the prismatic, deeply felt world of two "best friends" whose experiences--largely happening apart from each other--both expand and contract their knowledge of themselves. A compelling strain of illicitness runs through the story, mirroring the endless compromises these young people feel they have already made and which have corrupted them before they can even begin their adult lives. Shot through with penetrating, luminous prose, this is the sort of novel we talk about when we talk about reading for pleasure.
May 19, 2011
An acute and beautiful yet subtle book. Carefully crafted and lyrical without being annoyingly "poetic." Probably more for people who care about great characterizations, emotional intensity and elegant sentences than a driving or action-packed plot. The two main characters are fabulously well drawn and the supporting cast (especially the parents and one very mean real estate agent) pretty memorable too. GREAT opening section and plenty of suspense and fun all the way through to the end.
September 1, 2010
A collection of bits and bobs that don't cohere into a novel.
Sassone has a trashy streak that I really like. I know it's terrible to talk about the book you wish the author had written, instead of the one he actually did, but "The Intimates" wants to be a big gossipy beach read, not a literary novel.
Sassone has a trashy streak that I really like. I know it's terrible to talk about the book you wish the author had written, instead of the one he actually did, but "The Intimates" wants to be a big gossipy beach read, not a literary novel.
December 6, 2010
I loved this book! It was very poignant and gave us insight on human relationships as well as one's growth. It places the characters in everyday settings where readers can identify with their struggles and challenges, as well as their triumphs! It was a great read and I hope Sassone writes a follow-up novel.
March 20, 2011
This was a good book, I read it in about a day and a half on the subway. It got a low rating not because it was bad but because there's some funny parts and some interesting bits but I won't be reading it again. The narrative can get a bit pushy and uncomfortable, and there is a free floating feel about the book which I sort of enjoyed. It's like taking a quick look at someone's life.
April 29, 2012
An exhilarating and lovely read. Totally relatable characters. Working on a small scale, this writer manages to create something large: an emotionally complex, exquisitely compassionate novel about the striving toward intimacy between close friends, lovers, parents and children, and others. A quiet tour-de-force.
December 6, 2010
This was an absolute page turner....I could not put this one down! I have referred this one to many many of my friends and also snagged a couple of copies before the Christmas holiday to give to dear friends. It's truly a must read! Don't be left out!
Want to read
March 4, 2011another of the trio of books that surprised me today when i got home from work. i love it when you don't know you won any and then they just come in the mail!!! this is the one of the bunch that sounds the best to me. =)
March 22, 2011
I really enjoyed this book, which is a tale of two friends who meet in high school and reconnect in college. The book is about growing up and finding your way, even if it means you grow apart from someone. A delicious read.
March 2, 2013
I feel like I should say something about this book, but am not sure what that should be. Two people whose pretty much every relationship is messed up except (mostly) the one they have with each other. It wasn't really a sad book or happy book, but just there.
December 6, 2010
A friend told me I should read this book and I am glad he did.
I truly enjoyed it and hope other people will enjoy it as much as I did
I truly enjoyed it and hope other people will enjoy it as much as I did
Want to read
January 25, 2011EW recommendation
February 22, 2011
This book managed to be both trashy and terribly boring at the same time. Luckily I checked it out from the library and didn't spend money on it. I'd recommend skipping this one, folks.
May 3, 2012
I liked this but I felt sad for the characters the whole time I was reading--it is just that kind of book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews