McEwan Magnificence

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Before writing about Atonement, I looked back over my review of On Chesil Beach, also by McEwan. I'd titled it 'A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime', and I've found that Atonement focuses very much on the same idea - one moment, one single action altering the course of many lives.

Atonement has become incredibly well known, since being released as a film, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, in 2007. The Novel itself, however, was published in 2001, and shortlisted for the booker prize in the same year. Fortunately, I have not seen the film and can praise Atonement purely as a literary masterpiece without my comments being soiled by impressions from the film.

The story begins on one very hot summer's day in 1935, during which thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses her older sister, Cecilia, plunging into the garden fountain in her underwear. Robbie Turner watches as she undresses and sinks into the water and soon Briony allows her creative imagination to explore ideas suspended between childhood and adulthood. Her mind eventually leads to her "crime", causing unforgivable shame and irreparable rifts amongst her family.

I mentioned in reviewing On Chesil Beach that McEwan has a remarkable talent for creating atmosphere with language. Of course every good author should be able to create scenes through subtle descriptions and well chosen vocabulary but McEwan is different - every word, every syllable echoes the story and the events to come. The beginning of the story evokes the erotic - from the "sticky" afternoon heat to the description of a fifteen-year-old girl indulging in chocolate. There is something vulgar about McEwan's language making the intimacy between characters seem gross and perverse - and so it should. Everything about McEwan's language is pitched perfectly to the story.

The second part of the novel takes Robbie through Dunkirk in 1940 and is a satisfying account of the war, carefully avoiding cliche. Here the writing is gripping and painful but Robbie's likable character is enough to keep us reading. Erotica is gone from McEwan's writing as the need to portray the reality of horrific history takes hold. But, enough about the plot.

Back to McEwan, there are two things I want to mention. Firstly, there is a moment of truly brilliant writing in the final fifty pages of the novel. I read about ten pages with my nose getting closer and closer to the paper - soon I to realised the words were losing their focus. I was desperate to be included more as my heart raced along with Briony's narrative. The writer is truly magnificent in his writing, describing everything down to the smallest subconscious gestures of the human being.

The second thing is not so good. There is one sex scene which seems utterly unreal to me. Without giving too much away, two virgins realise within one afternoon that they are in love and start having rampant, violent sex against a book case. Biting each other and making love without words, it seems like a very unlikely type of intimacy between two first time lovers. Especially as their love unfolds as everlasting, based upon this first discovery of their feelings for each other.

Despite this, I can safely say that Atonement is definitely worth reading. It is the best book I have read in some time and, whereas McEwan thoroughly disappointed me with On Chesil Beach, with Atonement he blew me away. I'm even looking out for a copy of Amsterdam, a novel that went on to win the 1998 booker prize, to read more of this talented writer. Ultimately, Atonement is a fantastic exploration of guilt and innocence, betrayal and forgiveness, love and hatred - pick up a copy and let it blow your mind.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Atonement".