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nikkkimarrry 's review for:
Atonement
by Ian McEwan
challenging
emotional
sad
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
i had a hard time getting through the first part of the book because of how loathsome briony is, even with the understanding that she was a child. briony did not get the ending she deserved and that pissed me off. as much as writing this book was briony’s personal process of atonement, assuaging her own guilt by giving robbie and cecilia the ending they deserved did Not cut it. especially because robbie and cecilia are already dead, lola’s been married to her rapist, and especially because the truth of the matter will not be revealed until briony is long dead. what good does that do, for anyone?!
the whole “twist” ending took me a second to understand because i didn’t want to believe it. there’s something to be said about the metafictional device and the moral responsibility that authors have when telling stories. briony seems to acknowledge that, but at the end of the day, i feel like excusing her crime due to her childlike naïveté strips her sister, robbie, and lola of their personhoods, and literally does nothing to atone for wrongdoing. briony had to live her entire life with the guilt of her crime, sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that she lived a very long and successful life while her sister’s and robbie’s lives and their love were cut short, and lola continued to be groomed by her rapist to the point of their marriage.p. and the fact that she didn’t problematize this (probably bc we know briony did not like lola) shows that she doesn’t really care for how despicable rape and false rape accusations are.
the prose was descriptive and poetic, but almost to a fault as there were moments that dragged on. overall, i am extremely angered by this book lmao
the whole “twist” ending took me a second to understand because i didn’t want to believe it. there’s something to be said about the metafictional device and the moral responsibility that authors have when telling stories. briony seems to acknowledge that, but at the end of the day, i feel like excusing her crime due to her childlike naïveté strips her sister, robbie, and lola of their personhoods, and literally does nothing to atone for wrongdoing. briony had to live her entire life with the guilt of her crime, sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that she lived a very long and successful life while her sister’s and robbie’s lives and their love were cut short, and lola continued to be groomed by her rapist to the point of their marriage.p. and the fact that she didn’t problematize this (probably bc we know briony did not like lola) shows that she doesn’t really care for how despicable rape and false rape accusations are.
the prose was descriptive and poetic, but almost to a fault as there were moments that dragged on. overall, i am extremely angered by this book lmao