If you enjoy books like The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, then you will likely enjoy Atonement by Ian McEwan. It is a perfect book for those seeking to widen their horizons with novels that explore complex themes. This book was my introduction to truly examining literature rather than language in books, and as such it holds a special place in my memory. I believe it is the perfect book for other readers to gain a similar experience, especially if they enjoy historical fiction already.
It is a beautiful peice of literature exploring the power of the written word, the impact of human actions, the limitations of redemption, and the power of perspective in our world. While this might seem daunting, rest assured it is not necessary to be an expert on literature to appreciate these messages or enjoy the book in general. As I said before, it is a great book for beginners to introduce themselves to literary techniques like structure, point of view, character archetypes, and imagery. Aside from this, it is also a powerful story that can be enjoyed without intense analysis. The brilliance of McEwan's characters and plot are apparent regardless, making it the perfect book for you to add to your TBR. As a bonus, there is also a film adaptation of the book that has received critical acclaim. Be forewarned, though, like the other historical fiction books I mentioned earlier, this story is rather tragic!
The novel follows three main characters through three different periods of history and three primary settings. It is divided into three parts, the first of which takes place in Surrey, England, 1935. This is the longest of the three sections. It introduces the three primary characters and details the critical action that propels the plot throughout the rest of the story. These three characters are Briony Tallis, Cecilia Tallis, and Robbie Turner. Briony and Cecilia are siblings of a high class, wealthy English family, and Robbie is the son of their gardener. He grew up living on their estate as a close friend of the siblings. The characterization of these characters is crucial throughout the story. They are all highly developed and unique, which creates an additional depth to the story overall. The first part has the plot unfold through several different perspectives, occasionally showing the same scene through the eyes of two different characters in separate chapters. This is used to emphasize various themes and motifs. For example, the differences between the perspective of Briony and Robbie emphasize a critique of classism during this period. The differences between Cecilia and Briony's perspectives emphasize Briony's characterization of immaturity and naivety. These elements strengthen the story greatly and contribute to the roundness of the characters.
An important thing to understand about this book is that it is an example of metafiction. Within the book, McEwan explores what makes a story a story and the intricacies of storytelling in fiction. This is done in a very subtle and interesting way, primarily through the character Briony, who is an aspiring storyteller. Understanding this while reading makes the book become even more impressive.
The story begins and ends in Briony's perspective. She begins as a 13 year old girl writing a play in honour of the return of her older brother. She is mature for her age, shown through her exploration of mature themes like love and sacrafice in her play. This is contrasted with her relative immaturity compared to her older siblings and Robbie. She is unable to fully understand the actions and feelings of her peers, leading to misinterpretation. She is also highly creative, which leads her to invent drastically inaccurate versions of reality within her own mind. She has grown up without much supervision because her mother is plagued by migraines and her father and siblings work and study in the city. She seeks attention and is self righteous. Her entitlement and self-centered nature are contrasted with her genuine desire to do what is right and deep love for her family. Before her brother Leon returns, her cousins come to stay on the estate because their parents are going through a divorce, and she has little empathy for them. She immediately tries to force them to act in her play and showcases her intense desire for control during rehearsals. Despite her flaws, she is a very relatable character that readers can easily connect with. The transition from childhood to maturity is difficult, and everyone desires attention and love to some degree. While we may not be able to excuse all of her actions, McEwan allows us to fully understand them by displaying her perspective.
We then see her older sister, Cecilia, and how she feels about being home again. She has just completed her studies at Cambridge University, but she cannot receive a degree because she is a woman. She is independent and stubborn as well as caring. She must confront her relationship with Robbie, who she ignored throughout her college experience because they existed in different social circles due to the ideas of class division at the time. Robbie is a poor, highly intelligent, extremely caring and unselfish person. He wanted to study to become a doctor after having graduated at the top of his class at Cambridge. Cecilia and Robbie confront the transition of their friendship into romance. This is done in a very beautiful way through symbolism and imagery as well as actual interaction between the characters. The relationship emphasizes the author's critique of classism further and allows readers to connect deeply to Robbie and Cecilia. The emotion present within their points of view and interactions draws readers in, tying them to the characters. It makes the story all the more enjoyable and powerful by connecting readers to the characters so deeply.
As Briony struggles with losing control of her play to her older cousin, she misinterprets several interactions between Robbie and Cecilia, determining that Robbie is a dangerous man taking advantage of Cecilia. At the same time, a predatory relationship develops between the older cousin, Lola, and a friend brought home by Leon. Paul Marshal is a very wealthy heir to a chocolate empire who became interested in Lola despite the fact that she was 15 while he was in his late 20s. All of the plot lines and perspectives converge during a tense, suspenseful dinner. Then, it is discovered that the two younger cousins have run away. Everyone except Mrs. Tallis leaves to search the estate for the missing boys.
Briony goes alone, without a flashlight. At this point, she has constructed an image of Robbie in her mind, seeing him as a violent maniac preying on her sister. She encounters Lola crying and asks her if she has been attacked. Lola gives very vague answers, never confirming if she was raped or who her assailant was. Briony does all of the talking, further assuring herself with each word that Robbie assaulted Lola because she saw a vague figure walk away from where she found Lola. She officially accuses Robbie of the rape, forever altering the lives of Robbie, Cecilia, and herself.
The imagery of this scene is extremely important. The author stresses the darkness and lack of clarity to emphasize the flaws within Briony's perspective. When she first encounters Lola she can't see her at all because of how dark it was and the fact that she didn't have a flashlight. She assumes the crying is the sound of a duck and believes that Lola's form is a bush. These details as well as the detailed imagery within this scene illustrate the power of perspective within life. Briony's preconceptions lead her to construct her own narrative that is based more within her own imagination than in reality.
The fact that the police and all of the adults privy to this situation believed a 13 year old girl over Robbie showcases the author's views of classism yet again as well as the power of perspective within life. The fact that no one assumed that Paul Marshall could have anything to do with the assault because of his high social standing also furthers this motif of classism, which itself develops the greater themes of the power of persepctive and the impact of human actions in the novel. Briony's flawed perspective results from her self rightous nature, creative mind, and immaturity as well as her unique upbringing in a mostly lonely estate. The perspectives of the police and other adults were affected by the class division present within this time. They chose to believe her because they saw her higher social status as more valid than Robbie's own testimony. Briony's false accusation impacted their lives in an extremely meaningful way, which is explored throughout the rest of the plot.
The second part of the book is told through Robbie's perspective. It follows his experiences as a soldier in France during World War Two. Readers discover that he went to jail because of Briony's false testimony and became a soldier to shorten his sentence. He is a tragic hero, a common archetype that the author uses to emphasize the impact of Briony's action. He had an extremely bright future ahead of him. He would have become a doctor and used his gifts for good. He even came back from the search for the cousins with the boys on his soldiers, heroically returning after ensuring their safety. If he hadn't gone in search of them and stayed in the house, Briony's accusation never would have sent him to jail, but because he is a good person who wanted to help others, he met a tragic fate. It is discovered through flashbacks that he and Cecilia had communicated throughout his incarceration and that she never believed Briony. They remained in love, communicating their feelings through letters. Cecilia left her family behind to become a nurse. She cut ties with them, unable to forgive their actions. As Robbie encounters great suffering, violence, and gore through the war, he remains a good person. His goodness starkly contrasts the darkness surrounding him on his journey to the Dunkirk beaches. He tries desperately to save others while also being purely motivated to go on by his desire to see Cecilia again. His inner turmoil mirrors the turmoil of war. He wrestles with all of the anger and pain he has from everything he lost due to Briony, ultimately deciding that he is incapable of forgiving her even though he received a letter from Cecilia claiming that Briony was ready to dispute her own testimony and admit that she lied.
This part of the book illustrates a motif of the senselessness of war while also adding important contributions to the author's exploration of the limitations of redemption. Robbie is unable to forgive Briony even after so much time has passed. This, in addition to his heroic nature, emphasize the true power of her action and the limitations to her redemption for it.
The third part of the novel is told through Briony's perspective in the spring of 1940 in London, England. She has become a nurse, dedicating her life to helping others instead of going to Cambridge and following her passion for literature and writing. She also follows in Cecilia's footsteps, communicating a desire to make amends with her sister and clear Robbie's name through a letter. This life is out of her control, starkly different from her childhood. She struggles with a deep guilt over her crime after having realized her accusation was false in her maturity. She tends to soldiers returning from Dunkirk, struggling with the true suffering she sees through these men. Even after all of the sacrifices she has made in search of atonement, she doesn't truly feel redeemed by these actions.
There is a final time-jump, concluding the novel through the perspective of an aged Briony. She became an acclaimed author after the war. She returns to the family's estate, which became a hotel, for a family reunion on her birthday. She reveals that she wrote a novel about her life, specifically her crime, with accurate names, dates, and facts, revealing the truth. This is her final attempt at finding atonement for what she has done.
The ending reveals a twist that cements the novel as a masterpiece of both historical fiction and metafiction. I won't spoil it here, so you'll have to read this amazing work of literature to see how this conclusion closes the author's exploration of the limitations to atonement and redemption, the power of our actions, and the importance of understanding the perspectives of others within our own lives.
While tragic, this book is certainly one of the most gorgeous works of fiction that I have ever read. I felt deep connections with all three of the main characters. The author's choices created an immense depth to the story, the emotion he evokes through the story makes the story stay with readers, making it impactful, and in exploring these complex themes through such rounded, developed, amazing characters, he made it a truly human story.
The added historical connections further enhance the true tragedy that makes this work so powerful. The reader's experience is noticeably enhanced by the connection of time, place, and notable events that have become such important parts of history impacting these characters on their own journeys.
I truly believe any reader who enjoys historical fiction and important themes like these will love this book as much as I do. If they choose to analyze it further, they will discover even more incredible literary techniques and elements that define this novel as a masterpiece. The setting, time elements, parallels, prolepsis, and so much more present within the story add to the power of the author's messages. While they aren't necessary to understand to enjoy the novel, they make it better. This novel is a perfect place for a reader to begin reading with a literary focus, so I implore you to give this book a try while focusing on how the author's choices make it such an amazing work of fiction.
Happy reading!
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