So this was first recommended to me by a friend whose literary opinion I really respect. She said there was a part of this novel, towards the end, where you're sort of reading and it doesn't really make 100% sense but then you're like "OHHH".
I didn't quite get that moment, but that doesn't change the fact that I really enjoyed the read. To be fair, though, I thought I'd get the "aha" moment, and was really waiting for it, and when it didn't come I was a bit underwhelmed. That being said, let's dig in.
If you've seen the movie (I haven't) then I suppose the plot will be somewhat ruined, and that's a shame, because part of what makes this book so tantalizing is the constant desire of the reader to know more, and quickly, and McEwan's absolute disregard of the reader's desire in favor of advancing his plot slowly, carefully, and sensually. When I say sensually, here, I don't mean sexually. In fact, if you ask me, the book could have done with a good deal more smut. Not to be a pervert, but this really was literary blue-balling, because McEwan leads you right up to the moment, and then sort of drops you off in favor of exploring other things.
(N.B. *I think I'm going to go ahead and start using that as a post label, because I feel like too many authors do it. Literary blueballing, I mean.)
In McEwan's case, though, I attest that it was justifiable, since his plot, ultimately, is not so much about the love affair between Cecelia and Robbie as it is, naturally, about Briony (the younger sister)'s Atonement, hence the name of the novel.
That being said, I can definitely imagine a much more cathartic experience for film viewers than for readers, if we're talking about the sexual realm. If we're talking about the realm of words, metaphor, description, and sheer literary skill, McEwan truly impressed me. There is something extraordinarily beautiful about not only what he writes, but how he writes it. Each word seems to be selected as carefully as a choice chocolate from an extraordinarily diverse and rich Whitman's sampler, if you'll pardon the food pun.
I'm really glad that I hadn't discovered him before, because now, I have the luck to have more of his writing ahead of me. Cheerio!
But back to brass tacks. The plot: early 20th century, 13-year-old Briony sees something happen between her sister, Cecelia, and Robbie, the son of the hired help. What Briony doesn't realize due to her immaturity causes her to ultimately blame Robbie for a terrible crime that's committed about halfway through the novel. (Sorry if I'm being crazy vague. I just know that some people absolutely detest spoilers.) This accusation ultimately ruins a ton of lives, including (arguably) Briony's own.
So. While the writing was grand, I really do wish the plot progressed just a teeny, tiny bit faster at the beginning. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious to read, but I found myself almost skipping paragraphs because I wanted to know what happened. This, of course, is a rare talent among writers, but for me, McEwan almost does what I like to call the "Tolkien effect." That is, spending 20 pages describing a single blade of grass on the foggy hillside. Gag me with a spoon.
I'm all for description and setting the scene, but please, progress as you do this!
Further, while I found Briony to be a really rich, 3 and even 4 dimensional character (let's count time as a dimension, shall we?) I wish there was more to Cecelia. I knew that I liked her, but ultimately, that was only because I really liked Robbie, and she liked him. Since so much of the book focuses on her, and Briony's relationship with her and Robbie, I almost wish there was more to go on than just the broad strokes. Although, the beauty of McEwan is that we can sit and hypothesize about her and argue about Briony all the live-long day.
At the end, though, I found Briony to be a bit more disturbed and strange than even McEwan gives her credit for. SPOILERS Follow::::::
I didn't really buy that she "forgot" about her crush on Robbie, and I also didn't quite like how nonchalant she seemed about the incident, at the end. Granted, she was young then, but as an adult who understood the real intricacies of what happened, I was horrified to learn how little remorse she really seemed to show about it. As though writing about it was going to make it all better! But I guess that's the key to a disturbed personality. Well done, I.M.
FINAL VERDICT:
*** and 1/2 out of *****
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