Britain’s Greatest Living Writer?
Since the publication of his first collection of short stories in 1975, Ian McEwan has steadily acquired a reputation for being perhaps Britain’s greatest living writer. Over the years he has received praise from the critics as well as literary prizes such as The Man Booker in 1998 for Amsterdam, and grown in popularity due to the adaptation of several of his novels into successful films, most recently Atonement.
On Chesil Beach is McEwan’s tenth adult novel, although its length has led many to term this latest work a novella. No matter: McEwan can express in just a few words emotions that a lesser writer would struggle to convey in ten times that number, and this latest work shows him to writing at the very peak of his powers. Gone are the irrelevant sub-plots that many have felt blight some of his novels, such as the gun episode in Enduring Love: here, the story is stripped right back to focus on the relationship between two characters on one vital night.
Sex in 1962
The year is 1962: Britain before the sexual revolution that would sweep London in the latter half of the decade. Edward and Florence are both twenty-two, and have arrived at the hotel on the Dorset Coast where they are to have their wedding night. Edward is eager to consummate their marriage, whilst Florence, who privately finds the idea of sex most distasteful, is terrified of what is to come. We follow their awkward progress towards consummation, and watch, appalled, as their relationship starts to fold under the enormous pressure of this one night.
As plots go, this is a slim one. We do meet a few other characters, as both protagonists think back to earlier stages in their relationship: how they first met, the reactions of the two families, the slow development of some kind of physical intimacy. The story itself, however, is secondary to the quality of the writing on show here. McEwan is able to move effortlessly between comedy and tragedy, evoking early 60s Britain in his detailed description of the meal the honeymooners are served in their hotel: “long-ago roasted beef in a thickened gravy, soft boiled vegetables, and potatoes of a bluish hue” (page 5) at the same time as portraying the enormous sadness in the breakdown of a relationship: “This is how the entire course of a life can be changed – by doing nothing” (page 166).
“A Masterpiece”
For once, critics seemed to be united in their praise for this novel. Karl Miller in the Times Literary Supplement called it “more than an event. It is a masterpiece”, and the Observer said McEwan was “word-perfect”. Whether you are already a fan of this great writer, or looking for an accessible way to begin enjoying his work, this stunning book is highly recommended.
On Chesil Beach is published in the UK by Vintage (2007), 166 pages, ISBN 978-0-099-51279-0. Find out more about Ian McEwan by visiting his website, or by reading about another great novel, Atonement.
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