Ian McEwan's Atonement

At first, I was a little reserved about reading this text. It was not one of them cases where I had seen the movie and wanted to read it to see if it was accurate to the text, no, this was due to an article by John Mullan referring to McEwan’s use of metafiction within the text. He highlights how the first-time readers may indeed puzzled by the undeniable twist at the end of the novel and the heartbreak it will cause readers who hoped, that despite everything, there would be a happy ending. But in spite of this I had to read it. So I read it once and then again, each time I am still nowhere near close to understanding the need for the influence of pain in this story and yet it has to be read.

As the title suggests, the novel is about young Briony Tallis – merely out of childhood – atoning for a mistake which ultimately affected the lives of those who sat at the dinner table that sickly hot summer day. When it comes to making amends for her mistake, her clarity of the situation comes too late and that guilt is carried over numerous years. I believe she never truly escapes it, it follows her like a shadow.

The book is structured in four parts, each highlighting how the effect of one lie can cause a catastrophic affect on others. McEwan writes like he wants to paint a picture to the reader of what is happening, as though its real. We as readers feel like we are viewing a silent movie, focussing on the minute details which are incredibly important to the narrative’s progression. In novels such as this, I prefer more description and less dialogue as sometimes I feel dialogue forces the reader to become detracted slightly from the plot. The way McEwan writes is beautiful.

This must be one of the most tragic love stories I have ever read. We are tricked by Briony over the course of the novel and although Cecilia and Robbie’s time together was so brief, what they shared was so beautifully written by McEwan we could imagine their emotions, bright and vivid, and we know their love for each other was pure and passionate.

Atonement not only makes us cry but also makes us angry. There are multiple questions we want to hurl at briony, but to understand her thought process is in the prowess of this book. Briony is an intriguingly complex character who presents a desire for control, too curious and cannot see things from another point of view. This all forms her hamartia, and eventually leads to her subsequent downfall. She attemts to act grown up, only for it to be thrown back at her for getting involved in something she did not yet understand.

The plot itself is easy to comprehend but its twist at the end is enough to shock readers to the core. McEwan writes a tale with an intriguing metafiction hidden within. Unlike most metafiction writers, McEwan wants the reader to really identify with the characters alongside feeling their emotions in order to become part of the tale, in the hopes they would succumb to the narrative illusion.

This novel portrays a ‘crime against the reader’ because the ending reveals that the hope we desired for our lovers was in fact fiction. I as a reader have my own reservations against Briony as I believe she cannot atone for her crime as she changes the events of the past to suit her purpose but also to show her own character progression. I believe she wants the reader to sympathise with her and potentially understand why she did what she did. I for one disagree, but it is all open to interpretation.

Do check out the movie adaptation, it does follow the story line almost exact and the green dress, my god its exquisite!

Atonement overall showcases how one stupid childish mistake can greatly affect you but also those around you. The novel follows the efforts of a young girl trying her hardest to compensate for her mistake. She cannot turn back in time, but she can write herself, the lovers and the readers a happy ending.