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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
It's to Mr McEwan's credit that my staggering disbelief was suspended for the length of this short novel. The narrator and protagonist is a foetus in the womb of a woman plotting to murder her husband, with the aid of her lover, who is her husband's brother. The foetus is erudite and a connoisseur of wine, thanks evidently to his mother's listening to podcasts and drinking habits. Somehow Mr McEwan pulled off, as this is a gripping and enjoyable read.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was skeptical that I would enjoy a book with a fetus as narrator, but here it is. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Murder
dark
tense
slow-paced
A beautifully told suspenseful ‘will they do it’ / murder story. It is a Shakespearean plot of love triangles, jealousy and stupidity. All told deliciously through the thoughts of near term foetus. Sounds silly but the device works perfectly. The prose is wonderful on every page.
Clever, well written prose. A quick and highly enjoyable read.
I really loved this small book mainly because of the perspective this story is told: an about-to-born baby, with good taste in wine, music and poetry, but with the handicap of having only gotten to know all these things from his mother's womb. The story unfolding outside the womb might be the least interesting, it's all about experiencing the world from this perspective.
The premise struck me as ludicrous - an unborn baby hears its mother and her lover plot the murder of its father. But the story is well told, with gorgeous language (lambent! matutinal!), dramatic moments, and the stinging humor of a precocious fetus.