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claywerner 's review for:
Atonement
by Ian McEwan
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another audiobook listen through, and I’m not sure I could have read it in twice the time. The themes are heavy and the pace teeters on slow, but the content is absolutely arresting.
Themes of guilt and whether we can ever truly atone for the worst of our actions, and whether simply telling the story is enough of an avenue to do so if the storyteller is forever unreliable provide incredibly provocative questions. And to set this deeply individual story against a vivid backdrop of the Dunkirk evacuation and the surrounding war is a moving juxtaposition.
Most of the way through the first part of this book, I wasn’t sure it was for me, but now it’s among the most wholly moving stories I have “read.”
Now to watch the 2007 adaptation for the first time.
Themes of guilt and whether we can ever truly atone for the worst of our actions, and whether simply telling the story is enough of an avenue to do so if the storyteller is forever unreliable provide incredibly provocative questions. And to set this deeply individual story against a vivid backdrop of the Dunkirk evacuation and the surrounding war is a moving juxtaposition.
Most of the way through the first part of this book, I wasn’t sure it was for me, but now it’s among the most wholly moving stories I have “read.”
Now to watch the 2007 adaptation for the first time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape