Atonement by Ian McEwan

Perhaps, for the first time in a long time, I was spoiled by the movie. As you may know, gentle reader, I rather liked Atonement in theatre. I had begun the novel before I had watched its cinematic companion, but decided to stop reading: usually, what happens is that the movie is disappointingly shallow. I had thought to give the movie a better chance. Little did I know that the movie would be so well produced.

So, instead of comparing the two, I shall only talk about the things that compelled me to keep reading, even when I hit the soul-sucking section called Part II. The two major themes I picked up on in Atonement by Ian McEwan were as follows:

1) Fiction v. Reality: it is absolutely masterful the way McEwan deals with this idea. He readjusts one scene several times, until every facet of it shines like a well-crafted gem. The idea of truth, like beauty, being subjective to the eye of the beholder is cliche; but it doesn't feel old or tired when McEwan portrays. In fact, it comes across as fresh and surprising. Not only is this is a classic case of an unreliable narrator, but it is a shocking revelation. Given the events unfolding and the characters involved, it's easy to get sucked in by the plot and escape into a wartime tragedy. How truth is dealt with - the very nature and essence of it - is what is at the core of the novel. The quest for it what drives the reader on to the bitter end. As such, I cannot divulge more without robbing you of the pleasure in its attainment

2) Forgiveness: goes without saying, no? Before we get to atonement, a word about Love, with a capital L. It isn't the insipid hearts-a-flutter that propels Romeo and Juliet. It's a deep and shattering love that binds the characters together and us to them. We want for them to achieve their desires, especially after all that has happened. We expect it and nurture the dream. This book isn't about Love, though. It is about forgiveness and our inability to sometimes reconcile Love with Forgiveness ; to love a character so much, we are willing to pillory any who stand in their way - author included.

These two themes work so well together in the novel, that its within this seamlessness that we find McEwan's brilliance. Much like Milton pulled his reader down Lucifer-Lane, McEwan gives us every reason to question Truth only to show us how innately human it is to ignore Truth for Fiction.

A Must Read.