Atonement by Ian McEwan
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Atonement is an astonishing, phenomenal, fascinating, mesmerizing novel that has been included by TIME magazine on its list of 100 Greatest English Language novels since 1923:
If you google Atonement, the first two entries refer to the film adaptation, which is an outstanding achievement, even if reading the novel is a much more rewarding, worthwhile activity, which has won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Film, was nominated for the Oscar in the same and other important categories.
There are inevitable differences between the original material, especially when this is a masterpiece, like Atonement, and there is a feeling that the film does not do justice to the book- at least most of the time- but here, although the motion picture is excellent, it is obvious that it has so many limitations.
This reader has seen the film first- which may have been a mistake, or an unfortunate chain of events- and what he remembers- writers underline that what we remember is different from what we perceived at the time when the event, book or passage was recorded- is a different introduction to the plot.
Briony Tallis is the thirteen years old protagonist, that we will have at the center of the narrative at three other ages, the last apparition would be at seventy seven, who is extremely talented as a writer, she has a vivid imagination, but what she thinks she sees becomes the destruction of – at least years of – the life of two people, her older sister, Cecilia Tallis, and Robbie Turner.
The first important scene takes place in front of the house of the rich family, where Cecilia has taken a precious vase, to put water from a fountain, where she meets Robbie, a young man who is the son of a family servant, who offers help, but when he grabs one side of the vase and Cecilia the other, part of the precious ornament is broken and sunk in the water.
The young woman takes the blouse and her skirt off and remains in a very awkward attire, underwear that offers too much visibility, enters the water and takes the pieces out- all this happens at a stage where in the book, there seems to be only animosity and a tension between the two, while in the film- if the memory is accurate- it seemed that the two are already in love with each other- somehow anticipating, but clearly diminishing the surprise that the reader has when the next chapters unfold.
Briony looks at the scene and her misinterpretation is the first stage of a fabrication that would lead to a catastrophe, for she thinks that it is Robbie who commands her sister to undress and then enter the water, using some evil power or blackmail.
Later on the same fatidic day, Robbie Turner writes some versions of an apology to Cecilia, in one he is very intimate and talks about kissing her private parts, folds the excuse and gives the envelope to Briony to deliver it to her sister, realizing a few instants later that he has included the wrong message and it is too late to do anything about it
When Robbie and Cecilia meet, he tries again to explain, make amends, only the effect of the letter is unexpected, the young woman is not angry, she realized she loves the man she grew up with and they start making passionate love, in a corner of the library, where Briony finds them.
At her age, she does not understand what happens- this is part of her defense, although the calamity of what is about to happen is so immense as to still make her attitude hard to justify- and all that she sees is augmented by the first, aforementioned scene and the regrettable curiosity that made her open the message and read what the passionate writer has included, with the intimacy, the “blasphemous, obscene” word…
Lola Quincey and her twin brothers, Pierrot and Jackson, are guests at the Tallis mansion, following their parents’ divorce, the twin brothers are unhappy with the situation, their presence on unfamiliar premises, the cancellation of the Briony play there were supposed to perform in, and they decide to run away, after leaving a note at the dinner table.
All those in the house look for the missing boys, with few exceptions, and as Briony looks for them, she is witness to a terrible crime; Lola is assaulted, raped by someone that the young, imaginative and wrongheaded youngest Tallis is sure it is her nemesis, the villainous Robbie, a maniac as she and the cousin agreed.
The police is called and alas, all of the Tallis household believe the allegations of their youngest, with the exception of Cecilia, who, after this tragedy would not talk with her family for years- Robbie is apprehended and based on the testimony of Briony Tallis- Lola is protected and her tacit agreement for the accusations is all that is needed, given her trauma, more chagrin is avoided- the innocent man is arrested and then sentenced and jailed.
The second part of this magnificent novel narrates the ordeal of the British soldiers in the period leading up to the extraordinary evacuation at Dunkirk- which may be one of the main reasons that Britain and the allies won World War II- especially Robbie Turner.
It is a difficult journey to the shore and the horror is appalling, children, women, soldiers die, bombed by Stukas or in other outrageous circumstances, some of the luckier ones ending up in hospitals in Britain, after escaping Dunkirk, a few in the care of Briony and Cecilia, both dedicated as nurses to caring for the victims of the war, although on different premises.
The wondrous author engages in a very interesting, if somewhat puzzling game, suggesting that there could be a few endings of this story, told as it is by Briony Tallis, who is a writer- who may act in the name of Ian McEwan? - and explores the various possibilities- happy ending, at least for some of the protagonists…as for Atonement, the writer as God cannot ask for that.
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