I had been stuck on this book for almost three months now without making much progress. There was always something else I had to do. Last week, I figured, other stuff can't be as important, so I went back into my cage and really started reading and finished the book yesterday. (The absence of an internet connection played an important role in facilitating 12 hours of reading time on a Saturday). I had heard people tell me how amazing the movie is, and while I believe them, I also believe a lot of poetry would have been lost in the making of the movie. After the first few chapters, once the life altering event has occurred, there isn't much suspense left in the novel. Ian McEwan kind of tells you without really telling you what the ending of the book is going to be. I felt the book to be more of a character study, about how different people remember an event that happened to them years earlier. Some hide, pretending nothing happened, others have to live with the consequences and cannot hide. It's almost like a study of human emotions, you can see how each character is thinking and reacting. It does leave you feeling a little hollow in the end. Had I not been a tough nut, I would probably have even cried. I am now planning to watch the movie, if only to see the characters come alive. (And Keira Knightley). I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a serious read and is slightly out of sorts with life. It made me feel better about the general going-ons right now. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it heals. But of course, you have to shut the world out completely for that to happen, which might be a major contributing factor!
And the title, I love the title of the book. It's such a loaded word, Atonement. I wish I could think up such words while I write. I am beginning to think I need to start reading through a dictionary now.
Onto other books now,
Adios,
Naina
No comments:
Post a Comment