A review by eowyndoodles
The Innocent by Ian McEwan

3.0

I'm not sure about this book. It was enjoyable to read about, even though I never really liked Leonard, he was interesting, the processes of his mind and the work he was doing. Mostly the setting, though, honestly. I haven't read anything set in 50s-ish Berlin, so I found it really interesting to see an English point of view of Berlin post-war. Also with the divisions of Berlin (but before the wall?). The spying stuff was cool, even is Leonard is a major dweeb. Also I think it is interesting to see Americans from British point-of-view because I mostly see the opposite. I liked the feeling of routines and daily life and order that got set up in the relationship between Maria and Leonard, in the writing.

But also I liked I figured that there would a twist at some point because that's what Ian McEwan does. It was later than I expected though and once it got there, the book really went off the rails.

Like they seemed like sort of not-great people, but ok I guess and at least interesting, and then all of a sudden. The book goes off the rails. STABBY STABBY. Oh no, we have a dead body! (Even if maybe he attacked us after hiding in the wardrobe because he is the crazy ex-husband so it was mostly self-defense?) The only way to solve this problem is to cut the body up and put in suitcases. But instead of leaving them in the anonymous bus-locker (or like dropping in a river or something?) let us bring them into the room that only you have security clearance for, Leonard. Smooth move. Also, then to cover up your crime, tell the Russians all about this secret mission so that no one discovers them. It doesn't really matter, international spy scheme, diplomatic relations, whatever.

This book would have been rated higher if not for the last third (from stabby-murder-onward) which just seemed full of improbably options and twists. Although, as someone who has never murdered my fiance's drunk ex-spouse who we discovered hiding in a wardrobe watching us have sex, you know, maybe it is entirely realistic and I'm just not aware of what someone's state of mind would be in that case. I liked the earlier set-up a lot better and found that to be much more interesting.