When a child Briony Tallis with the overflowing mind of a storyteller misinterpreted a scene in a library, she then shared this misconception changing the futures of all involved. McEwan’s ‘Atonement’ is a book about attempts to make amends set in the backdrop of the Second World War and Dunkirk evacuations. The characters in this book are so well established and descriptions are stunning. When reading about the house in the Surrey hills in the first part I was pretty sure this would be a five star book but as the scene changed and the focus became the war the charming initial writing style was lost. Don’t get me wrong it was still incredibly written and much of the imagery was haunting, though it just didn’t hit the same way. 

I loved the character of Robbie, empathised so much with him and saw myself in the occasional aspect of him. The novel’s backbone in intertextuality and depictions of literature is always something I enjoy in books. The ending did feel a little unresolved but in the same manner McEwan makes clear that such was intention and in a way it makes the book all the more tragic. Though bridging it quickly the ending was a tragic sucker-punch, but can’t help to think it would be even more effective if it had more time to breath and for the reader to have to face it, rather than the conclusion being summarised by Briony long in the future.