Ian McEwan, On Chesil Beach

A beautifully written story; a perfect demonstration of how books can be both economical and utterly evocative. As good as anything Ian McEwan has ever written. I also highly recommend the audiobook, which is narrated by the author.

A little gem. It is a sharp and sad portrayal of a disastrous marriage, made more poignant by its setting at a time just before the great social liberations and greater sexual freedoms of the sixties.

'On Chesil Beach' shares with other of the novels of Ian McEwan the sense that there can exist a pivotal, in this case cruel, moment which can change lives for ever. Perhaps the author allows his preoccupation with this central idea to override his sense of human authenticity in this piece.

Set in England in the 60's, 'On Chesil Beach' tells the tale of two sexually inexperienced newly weds on their wedding night. Each has their own thoughts and reservations about their first time together - Florence is dreading the whole affair, but still wants to please her new husband, and Edward has fears that his over-excitement will spoil his first night with his new wife.

As the night unfolds, their doubts are made apparent to each other, and the consequences of that night will change the very course of their lives.

This short novel, though brief, explores some very powerful emotions connected with the delicate subject of adult relations and the milestone it appears to be for a virgin. McEwan also gives a strong background to his characters, giving them more depth, and helping the reader to understand the thought processes that the characters go through.

McEwan's depiction of the social norms in the 60's is such a keen observation. The behaviour of two people in their twenties who have grown up and learnt their values and ideals in the 50's is beautifully shown. The fact that they both appear to approach it as a taboo subject is a fine representation of what was seen as socially acceptable in the world that both Edward and Florence were brought up in.

The only negative aspect of this novel is that such a large amount of information was condensed into the final few pages of the book. These final ideas could have been explored more deeply and put into much more detail to give the novel a much more satisfying end.

As a committed fan of McEwan I found this book his weakest attempt and am astonished at the nomination. The Booker must be more meritorious in its slew of titles.