Page Twenty

Atonement by Ian McEwan

The book begins in 1935, England. 13-year old Briony Tallis has a very vivid imagination, which is revealed in the short plays she writes to perform for her family. Briony reads a letter meant for her older sister, Cecilia, from Robbie, the son of the Tallis' servant, and also witnesses an encounter between the two of them. Her overactive imagination and misunderstanding of the situation sets in motion an accusation that unravels the Tallis family and changes the lives of everyone involved. The book moves forward five years into WWII, and then jumps ahead to 1999 briefly at the novel's conclusion.

This book is a nice challenge, because, to me, it is reminiscent of Virginia Woolf's writing. But readers beware: this book is also completely heartbreaking.