A review by grisostomo_de_las_ovejas
Nutshell by Ian McEwan

4.0

When I watch mystery movies, I usually wait until the end for my big moment of gratification--the payoff. When I read books, I usually get the payoff at the end of a chapter in the form of a narrative thread tying itself off. In an especially well-written book, I might get a few of those payoffs in a chapter.

is a special book for me because I felt like nearly every paragraph had a gratification payoff. That's something I've never encountered before. Ian McEwan has such an incredible mastery of writing in the English language that he's able to twist nearly any idea into a delightful wordplay pretzel. Reading Nutshell was like playing a game of ping pong where you and your opponent keep volleying and volleying, the ball never coming close to the ground or net. The sentences just keep flowing so cleanly, and each time you get ready for McEwan to drop the ball, he sends it sailing cleanly over the net, and your mind catches it with a crisp backhand return, rewarding you with a little exciting thrill.

Also the premise and plot and all that are real nice. Do read.