by Ian McEwan
Review:I am speechless. Not only is this the strangest McEwan book I have read to date, but it is probably the best book I have read so far this year. Although, the majority of the books I read and review are not necessarily released the year I am reading them. It is very rare that I actually read a "new" book. I usually read a ton of reviews, make a list of what I want to read and when the mood strikes, that book is engulfed. Anyway, the plot line in this story is reminiscent of the Oedipus myth. The story is told from the point of view of a young boy. In the first chapter his father dies and we witness a family facing the survival of his death. Next, the mother takes ill and eventually dies, leaving the oldest brother (narrator) and oldest sister to "raise" the family of four siblings. Well, this is when things begin to get interesting and you want to punch McEwan for writing such a sick story. I felt the need to shower many times reading this page turner and often thought of many a John Irving novel in the throes of my disgust. Overall, a classic plot twist that only McEwan could pull off time and time again. I declare Mr. McEwan is officially my favorite contemporary writer of all time. Bravo! FYI, Atonement is a masterpiece, but to really know this author, you have to read some of his earlier work, especially anything before 2000.
Excerpt:
Julie spoke quietly. "You think girls look idiotic, daft, stupid...?"
"No," I said indignantly.
"You think it's humiliating to look like a girl, because you think it's humiliating to be a girl."
"It would be for Tom, to look like a girl."
Julie took a deep breath and her voice dropped to a murmur. "Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it's okay to be a boy; for girls it's like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading."
