I feel that I cannot do a review of Atonement justice, Ian McEwan’s writing is so sublime that any articulation I can give it necessarily misrepresents this superb book. But I must press forward regardless.
Atonement is quite nearly a perfect book to my tastes; tragic, cynical and ultimately profound and deeply meaningful, few other literary masterpieces can match it in capturing me at every level.
Ian’s mastery of language comes through in every sentence and only Jane Austin and—perhaps controversially—G.K. Chesterton can match it. It is crisp, varied and sophisticated, yet never is it overly verbose and is always in service of the story.
But the accomplishment of style and composition is by no measure the sole attribute to be praised. Rather, it is the characters so vividly painted, unique but never so exceptional that I stopped believing or caring in them and the unfolding tragedy that sets in at the end of the first act that demands my emotional engagement.
Fair warning, while I will not spoil any specifics but reading further will expose tone and generalities about the book.
I believe what sets Atonement apart from peers is that this is a story about; not quite altruistic, but certainly good natured people with mostly benevolent intentions making mistakes that have dire consequences for each other and the pursuit of Atonement is never fully attainable. We are asked to consider innocence, fancy, self-deception and truth from angles we rarely examine. As the story commences we loath Briony’s actions while simultaneously sympathizing and admiring her imagination and integrity, just as we feel her sadness as she comes to terms with her crime.
In the end, I believe that Atonement does what few other stories do, it does not opt for the ease of a happy ending, but neither does it leave us with bleak despair. This is not a story of forgiveness; a crime has been committed that cannot be forgotten and while Briony seeks—and finds—a measure of atonement it is not cheap, nor is it complete. No, a fairy tale ending is not to be found, it is rather, torn away from us and in this it managed to penetrate my cynicism affect me profoundly.
While I would leave you with that I do want to add one final note that should not be read if you are not already familiar with the story. Having seen the recent film I was afraid that knowing the end would make the book less evocative for me and I am quite happy to say that while the ending did not leave me stunned on my second experience it was no less meaningful. If you too have also only seen the film then I assure you reading the book will enrich your appreciation even further.
