by Ian McEwan
"I am uncertain whether our civilization at this turn of the millennium is cursed by too much or too little belief, whether people like Bernard and June cause the trouble, or people like me."
Review:
The novel travels back in time to Europe after World War II and is set against the fall of the Berlin Wall. McEwan uses the mock memoir form to tell this story. Whose story is this? June and Bernard's? Or Jeremy's? It is very confusing and intriguing at the same time. The conflict between emotion and rationality is divided by gender with a woman on one side and a man on another. June and Bernard are two young Communist Party members who meet in London in 1946. They fall deeply and quickly in love and marry. On their honeymoon in France, June has a life-altering experience, discovers religion, and ultimately renounces her allegiance to the party. Five years later, June and Bernard Tremaine separate, but they never divorce, and never become romantically involved with others. They meet again some forty years later when their son-in-law, Jeremy, spends time with both June and Bernard as he interviews each of them for June's memoir. This is again another brilliant piece by McEwan and definitely worth the read.
