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A review by shirisandler
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
3.0
Considering that this is McEwan, the master of sympathetic discomfort, the book is mystifyingly positive. Grisly, certainly, torturous, and sometimes excruciating, but not gratuitous, _The Innocent_ impressed me with how much humanity it allowed to shine through the terrible mess.
It also made me see the Cold War in yet another new light. I'm getting used to seeing Berlin remove layer after layer, but I couldn't have expected the power of this book and the city it reveals. Who would have thought there was romance and beauty in the very architecture of the Cold War?
I can't give it more than 3 stars, because under no circumstances would I read it again in its entirety, but I think thats the beauty of McEwan. I still like the characters enough to want to revel in their development again; I also feel their humanity enough to be unable to read their downfall one more time. Isn't that a triumph?
It also made me see the Cold War in yet another new light. I'm getting used to seeing Berlin remove layer after layer, but I couldn't have expected the power of this book and the city it reveals. Who would have thought there was romance and beauty in the very architecture of the Cold War?
I can't give it more than 3 stars, because under no circumstances would I read it again in its entirety, but I think thats the beauty of McEwan. I still like the characters enough to want to revel in their development again; I also feel their humanity enough to be unable to read their downfall one more time. Isn't that a triumph?