Atonement

By Ian McEwan
I had started Atonement last year and didn't finish. I tried again, letting the locale of Edgerton Park and oppressive heat of Connecticut in the summer put me in the world of an English country manor in August. I found myself completely drawn in by the story, characters, and McEwan's writing style. Briony is a girl of thirteen who is isolated and over-imaginative. (I can relate!) She misconstrues an encounter she witnesses between her sister, Celia and a family friend, Robbie. This leads to her accusing him of the reap of her cousin. In turn it leads to the destruction of her family. We then see the continuation of Robbie's life after his release from prison. He is now a soldier in the Army retreating from Dunkirk. He and Celia are still in contact. Briony is now a nurse, like Celia, and tries to atone for her sins though her work. It is still not enough and she tracks down her family in an attempt to redress the wrongs against Robbie and clear his name.
The end is Briony in her 70's, a successful novelist and the author of all we have read before. Were the previous accounts true? Parts are explained and parts are left to the readers imagination. I actually wish it had been a little less specific in regards to Robbie and Celia's outcomes. But I do see where the fictional author is attempting to use her novel as her atonement which is something she could not do in her actions. Much is made that until her "character's" are all dead, the novel will not be published. Briony herself is dying, so it is unclear if she will even be able to atone, or worse be aware of it if she does. This is the irony of Briony's situation, she has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. The person who over-fantasized will now be stripped of her mind and the guilt over her accusation may be relieved but she may not even be aware of it. Sad ending. It will be interesting to see how the movie pans out.