On Chesil Beach

The first thing you'll notice about Ian McEwan's new novel On Chesil Beach is what a beautiful little book it is. The brown and blue cover is calming and it's just the right size to hold in your hands or put in a pocket. I sat a while just holding it in my hands gazing at the cover before even opening up the book. Having just gotten back from Chesil Beach earlier this summer I was particularly excited for this novel and was not disappointed.

On Chesil Beach is a short novel, more like Amsterdam than Saturday. Like most of McKewan's works it's the story of how peoples lives change through a perfectly ordinary encounter. Florence and Edward are on the first night of their honeymoon which shortly becomes a disaster. The book then flashes back to give the reader glimpses of how the two found themselves in this situation. We learn just enough about the characters that the progression of their romance and marriage seems perfectly natural. And it when it all falls apart you can see how it all gone differently if a few words were not uttered or something else was said instead. But we're stuck with what is said and have to somehow go on from there.

What strikes me when reading a McEwan novel is just how perfectly crafted the novel is. Every sentence is written with precision, every word chosen with care. He's not afraid to challenge the reader with a word you have to look up in the dictionary. There are no extraneous passages, every sentence is exactly how it should be. It's a pleasure to read such a well written book and I only hope he writes another one soon.