I always have a problem with Ian McEwan's novels. On the one hand, I am impressed by the expert writing, the elegant flow with never the least snag in the language to trip me up. On the other hand, I cringe from his stories, full as they are of treacherous snags to trip me up at every turn. I read them with a terrible anxiety hovering near my heart. Am I the only one who is so sensitive to their exaggerated aura of menace? Friends who like McEwan's writing don't feel this at all. Why have I read so many ? Partly because of the critical acclaim that welcomes each new novel, partly in the hope that this time the story will be as satisfying as the writing. I continue to live in hope...

I watched the movie before reading the book, which was probably a mistake because I loved the movie and I felt that the book didn't measure up. Which is unfair, I know, but there it is!What impressed me about the book was the powerful statement the author is making on the power of narrative - how much it rules our lives. It does not matter whether it is true or false: in fact, true or false has no say in it, because for each one of us it is entirely subjective. And when the person in question is a writer, sometimes the narrative proves too powerful for herself to control.This is what happens to Briony Tallis. As a pre-teen, she unleashes forces larger than herself which play havoc with the lives of her near and dear. Forces she cannot contain, however much she tries.What remains is... Atonement.

"Atonement" focuses on tragic events surrounding the Tallis family during the years prior to, during and after the Second World War. Briony Tallis, a thirteen-year-old girl who has a dream of becoming a famous author, witnesses and misunderstands the sexual tension between her older sister Cecilia and the gardener Robbie Turner, with her mistake leading to years of remorse, hate, solitude and atonement. One might think this is a concept too unpromising for a full-length story, lacking any further potential for an interesting reading experience which will stick in ones memory. But whoever may bear such thoughts: the novel is even more than that. Dont expect a hopeful, romantic or even funny story when entering the world Ian McEwan has built in his masterpiece. It is tragic, heart-breaking and full of dark moments. There is not too much hope in this story. Atonement depicts what might very well have been reality. McEwan deals with flawed characters. Neither of them are perfect, all of them commit mistakes with grave consequences. Most of them are not even likeable. But you cant say any person included in McEwans large cast of characters is depicted in an unrealistic way, and in my opinion, thats what makes Atonement a true masterpiece.Two years ago, I had to read The Innocent, one of McEwans less-known novels, for school. It was not particularly well-written, felt really weird to me and a lot of others, did not deal subtly with its messages, and was generally no novel to be commemorated as a great work. I am still angry with my English teacher for introducing me to McEwan with such a book, considering his writing talents shine so much more through the narrative of Atonement. Say what you want about the plot or the character development, but the prose is beautiful. The book has been published only fourteen years ago, but it is one of those novels which will probably be considered to be true classics in fifty or one hundred years. Atonement is divided into three different sections. The first one deals with a hot afternoon in the summer of 1935 and the aftermath of a fatal entanglement, introducing the main characters, a stunning atmosphere and allowing the reader to become familiar with McEwans writing style. It was a little bit difficult to get into the story due to its slow beginning and the lengthy introduction, which is the main reason for why I deducted one half-star from my rating and finally rounded it down to 4 stars. But as soon as the first plot twist appeared, the storys pace gathered speed, making up for a great conclusion to the first part. The second section then introduced us to a soldiers experience during the Second World War, and while interesting and very well-written, this section once again may be considered to be a little long-winded. (I think those 100 pages might easily have been reduced to 60 or 70.) And then McEwan returned to his main protagonist during the course of the last section, narrating a tale about a nurses difficult life during War, and had he not already captured me with his prose, he would certainly have succeeded to do so with this final part. The epilogue was one of the best conclusions to a story Ive ever read, staying true to the plot and the characters and completing the story in a way which is very close to being perfect.If you enjoy reading novels with magnificent writing, profound plot elements which remain true to the characters, and perfect character development, then this is the book you should check out next.