Atonement by Ian McEwanCould you live with yourself knowing that as a result of a reckless act, you forever changed the course of someone’s life, perhaps even ruined it? That is the premise of this story.
On a long ago summer night, 13 year old Briony Tallis witnesses a shocking passionate encounter between her older sister, Cecilia, and their housekeeper’s son and childhood friend, Robbie. Later that night a crime occurs on the family’s estate, and Briony’s overactive imagination and flair for drama, result in her accusing Robbie of the deed. Robbie is sent to prison, and Briony begins to question what she actually witnessed that fateful night.
Atonement is divided into three sections. The first tells the story of the events leading up to the questionable incidents and the fall out of Briony’s accusations. The second section tells the story of Robbie, post-prison, as a soldier during WWII. It also details the lives of Briony, who is trying to become a published author and working as a wartime nurse, and Cecilia, who is also working as a wartime nurse and in love with Robbie. After years of struggling for the truth, Briony comes to the realization that it was not Robbie who committed the crime, and she attempts to reconnect with Cecilia and Robbie to make amends. The third section brings us to present day as Briony, a now successful author, celebrates her 77th birthday with a family reunion. In this chapter she reveals what truly happens to Robbie and Cecilia and her attempts to rewrite their story.
After first reading this book, I honestly wasn’t quite sure how much I liked it. It was long-winded and slow moving in parts, and it didn’t have the happy ending I had hoped. But the more I considered it and discussed the story with others, the more I appreciated it. It is very thought-provoking and intelligent. With a 2002 National Book Critics Circle Award and a nomination for a Booker Prize, it has been appreciated by greater critics than girlfriendbooks. Also, in a recent interview Laura Bush noted that she was currently reading "Atonement."
About the author: Ian McEwan is the bestselling author of more than ten books, including the novels The Comfort of Strangers and Black Dogs, both shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Amsterdam, winner of the Booker Prize, and The Child in Time, winner of the Whitbread Awards, as well as the story collections First Love, Last Rites, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and In Between the Sheets. He has also written screenplays, plays, television scripts, a children's book, and the libretto for an oratorio. He lives in London.
Atonement by Ian McEwan