I read this book in conjunction with a bookclub that I have begun at the Stillwater Public Library. Ian McEwan’s classic has been called by some to be one of the greatest ever written and it certainly lives up to that hype. Rich characters, a complex yet never convoluted storyline and a “twist” that leaves the reader emotionally conflicted combine to offer up a great read.
My only complaint is that I had seen the movie first. As a result, I was unable to truly and completely immerse myself in McEwan’s narrative. The movie stayed so faithful to the book that there were not any points of departure for me to follow the authors original vision. That was my loss and my mistake and no slight on the excellence of the work.
At the heart of this is a tremendous reflection on the need for atonement and redemption. Briony Tallis, as a precocious and imaginative 13 year old, witnesses a sexually charged exchange between her sister and her childhood friend. She is unable to fully understand what she has seen and incapable of placing it in the proper context. As a result, a string of events takes place that changes everyone’s lives forever.
What transpires is a beautiful work of fiction that deserves to be read.
