McEwan can’t help it, being a literary kind of guy. It demonstrates a kind of cultural narrowness which is, quite frankly, disturbing. Never mind that it’s highly fashionable these days, or that it’s probably what the 'Literary Fiction’ tag really means. Rule number one is that, criticism aside, you should never write about writing. McEwan wants us to know he’s slick enough to break the rules.Īnd make no mistake, there are rules. Generous applause for cheesy one-liners of the twenty-first century, number… This is not the only instance of showboating. Immediately after Robbie and Cecilia get it on in the library, the narrator continues, “Finally he spoke the three simple words that no amount of bad art or bad faith can ever quite cheapen”. His style has an easy rhythm (no pun intended) and is set off by the occasional eye-catching line. To be fair, McEwan writes better sex than most. No, it couldn’t possibly be that mundane”. The blurb continues, “By the end of the day Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary and will have become victims of the younger girl’s imagination”. It identifies the novel’s three main characters – Robbie Turner, Cecilia Tallis, and Cecilia’s thirteen-year-old sister, Briony. The first thing I read when I was given this novel was the blurb. I know I shouldn’t have, but everyone does it.
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