Ian McEwan - Atonement
This is the easiest book I have read in a long time. And not because it was a simple plot or had a simple vocabulary or was written for simple minds. It was simple because it is just so brilliantly written. I don't want to refer to films too much in this blog but I think it probably helps that I've seen the film so know the story and the characters slightly - helps me put a face to a name, even if it is the face of an actor. In this case, I think seeing the film allowed me to appreciate the writing skill and language and imagery a little more, because I wasn't having to concentrate on the plot so much.
The story is engaging and the characters are utterly believable. I can believe the malice and jealousy with which Briony concocts her horrendous tale. I've been a little girl, and when you're that age everything feels one thousand times more intense than it actually is. When you first read what happens you don't believe that something like a lie (albeit an awful one) can rock people's lives and destroy relationships in the way McEwan has written it. It's written in such a sensitive a way; I felt sorry for all of the characters at one point in the book, even Briony. I fund Cecilia a bit harder to relate to but the love between her and Robbie is so pure, you're just WISHING that it all works out for them. I know it's cliche and life doesn't always give us happy endings, but I wanted a happy ending so badly.
A brilliant brilliant read I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. Honestly I believe it deserves all it's accolades. The heat of the summer at the beginning of the book is conveyed through the words, and then when the scene changes to central London and Normandy the language reflects it. A true masterpiece and very very enjoyable. READ IT.
