Read More: Atonement

We got the movie version of Atonement from Netflix a few years ago, and I don't think I was the one who requested it. I didn't know much about it, and I wasn't very excited about watching it... I knew it was some Keira Knightly movie and not much else about it. I think I was working on something while it was on, so I didn't give it my full attention. But as the move started wrapping up, it struck me that this actually seemed like a pretty good story. I was sad that I hadn't been paying attention. So I decided I had to read the book. And I've finally gotten around to doing it!

The book Atonement by Ian McEwan is achingly beautiful. It harkens back to that Brideshead Revisited/Remains of the Day-type atmosphere... English manors and a love that can never be. But while all of the elements of a classic, heartwrenching love story are there, it is so much more. From the beginning, there are hints that maybe the narrator can't be trusted. So you start to wonder what really happened and what didn't. What people really thought, and what thoughts the narrator imbued them with in the interests of a good story. Everything gets neatly wrapped up in the end, which is satisfying. I don't see how the book could work without this last section, in which everything is revealed, but I almost wanted to be left wondering.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Usually I read a book, enjoy it, and never think about it again. They are just entertainment. But I know I will continue to think about this one for a long time--it's truly haunting. One of the best books I have read all year.

-Kristin