Ian McEwan. Let’s take a minute to talk about my feelings towards this man. He is the author of Atonement and many other novels.
Flash back with me, if you will, to June 2005. I had lived in Queens, NY for a month and was headed back to Oklahoma to be in a wedding. Because I was on the flight from New York to Chicago that fine morning, it was naturally, late. Something to do with too much fuel on the plane and they had to do math to figure out what elevation they needed to fly at to burn off the extra fuel by the time we landed. Due to this complicated plane math, the flight left so late (we were of course on the plane during this math) that I missed my connection in Chicago.
Enter Ian McEwan. I had 6 hours (yes, 6!) to burn at Chicago Midway Airport that not so fine day. So, I did what anyone would do. I hit the nearest airport bar for 2 vodka tonics and then bought a book to while away the hours. The book I selected was Atonement. This book was really great until I got to the end and realized that there was no Atoning in the book called Atonement! How angry was I over this?! Super-duper angry! Stupid Briony (character in the story) and stupid Ian McEwan!
Now, ever since then I have kept clear of all other Ian McEwan books. And while, honestly, some of my rage could have stemmed from being trapped in an aiport and missing the rehearsal and part of the rehearsal dinner for a wedding I was in, I still blamed Ian entirely. However, last week, Erica (whose reading opinion I trust highly) says that she just read an Ian McEwan book and that I would like it and should read it. As she knew my feelings about said author and recommended it anyway, I read it.
And man alive, was it good. It’s one of those great books that I read through in one day. And looking back, there was very little dialogue. It’s mostly the thoughts of the two main characters and then the relatively few sentences they speak to one another. So so good.
So, I guess Ian is out of the dog house. Although I think I’ll always carry some bitterness over Atonement. Which, some might say is the whole point of reading and makes Atonement a great book if I’m still thinking about it with strong feelings three years later. And to those people I say, good point.
