by Ian McEwan
Introduction and Acquisition: saw it was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, then a few hours later saw it in the shelf of New Books at the library, decided to pick it up. borrowed from Queens Library, September 2007. read on a train to and from Montauk, NY.
The Good: Nicely tied ending, like a final tug on a smart bow. Liked the painstakingly detailed description of a "forbidden" event, step by step, and the two participants' states of mind during such event - the process of consummation of their wedding night. The characters were fully developed, enough for the reader to take some care about what happens to them afterwards. Good mood setting. The climax (literally) was hilarious, a good peak.
The Bad: I did not find the woman's character, or state of mind about the issue, entirely believable. For such an intelligent woman, I should expect some curiosity about her undeveloped sexuality, rather than a blatant frigidity. But sure, okay, so this was a different era and society, but still. And until the final sentence, I was disappointed in the denouement, their life post-honeymoon, but see above about the tidy ending. The pacing was a bit slow for my preferred speed of action and consumption, but maybe that's not a bad thing, to be forced to read at a different pace. For what it gave me, I found it interesting. As a novel, it felt more like a study in psychology.
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