Ian McEwan’s Back Again!

Ian McEwan has returned to us with another literary novel filled with an intimate portrayal of a single man’s life as he lives through intense historical moments. Roland Baines’ life was turned upside down at eleven years old, and when his wife disappears, he begins to look into his family history for answers that will impact the rest of his life. Powerful and introspective, Lessons is the perfect read for every person wondering how living through “once in a lifetime” events time and time again can impact the lives of individuals. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss Lessons with Ian McEwan. 

Winner of the 1998 Booker Prize, Amsterdam begins with the funeral of a woman which is attended by 3 of her former lovers. The lives of the men become intertwined to ultimately fatal results as they face personal jealousy, failures in their careers, and a pact between two with disastrous consequences. This is a thrilling and sometimes comical analysis of morality that you won’t want to put down. 

This collection of short stories is McEwan’s first published work from 1975. In this collection, he delves into many of the subjects that would interest him later as well as worked to create his distinctive voice and style. These stories have the intensity and lyricism that many of his later works would embody more fully. 

McEwan’s second published work and his second set of short stories. These seven stories focus on a wide range of human experiences, often focusing on the chilling and unsettling aspects of romantic entanglements. These stories offer readers an insight into the author that would go on to write his share of well-loved books. 

After both their father and mother die, a group of four siblings must survive on their own. Told from the perspective of one of the brothers, 14-year-old Jack, we watch the siblings as they navigate difficult feelings and experiences. This was McEwan’s first novel, starting with a bang and dealing with some grim subjects. Even though the contents may be grim and haunting this novel shows the literary prowess of a talented author’s debut. 

A series of childhood mistakes set our characters down winding paths propelled by fate and questionable decisions. Can forgiveness ever truly be found? Are we worthy of it? When Briony misconstrues a flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and her childhood friend, Robbie, her misunderstanding brings about a crime that changes their lives forever. Taking place throughout World War II and the end of the twentieth century, this book follows the repercussions of that crime and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page! 

The year is 1962, and a young couple at the very start of their honeymoon find themselves unravelling as each carries insecurities and hesitations that threaten to transform their lives forever. A deeply poignant yet brief novel, McEwan’s On Chesil Beach broaches topics of physical intimacy, expectations, and failures of communication. Prepare to be swept away to the seaside and into the lives of these two people who were destined to fall together, as they attempt to surmise if they were also destined to fall apart. 

Fiona Maye is a renowned, fiercely intelligent High Court Judge whose professional success contradicts her rapidly crumbling marriage. When her husband’s sudden departure leaves her questioning the life she’s built for herself, she throws herself into the case of a teen boy whose parents are refusing a life-saving medical treatment due to their religious beliefs. This truly heart-wrenching and powerful novel is not your typical courtroom drama, but a deeply sensitive and compelling character driven story you won’t want to miss. 

The Child in Time is an astonishingly profound story about a successful children’s book author whose only child is kidnapped during a trip to the supermarket. McEwan plays into the surreal aspects of time in this novel, skillfully weaving a narrative about the effects of grief and how one moves on after tragedy. A masterful reflection on both childhood and parenthood, McEwan further cements himself as one of the greats. 

A naïve young man finds himself on a British-American surveillance team in Cold War Berlin in this startling psychological thriller. Based on real events in which a joint force dug tunnels under West Berlin to intercept Russian communications, this riveting tale of espionage and loss of innocence is as intense as it is impressive. 

Saturday, February 15, 2003. Henry Perowne is a content, successful neurosurgeon enjoying what begins as an average Saturday, with plans to play squash with colleagues, visit his elderly mother, and have dinner with his loving wife and children. However, a minor traffic accident leads Henry to cross paths with an aggressive young man who changes not only the course of Henry’s afternoon, but his entire future as well. First published in 2006, this deftly crafted novel reflects upon modern politics, particularly the impact of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. 

Set in an alternative 1980s London where the first artificial humans have been developed, Machines Like Me follows a pair of lovers who acquire one of these first-generation synthetic humans. Raising existential questions about what defines humanity, this literary science fiction novel proves just how vast McEwan’s literary wheelhouse is. 

Part spy novel, part semi-autobiographical novel, Sweet Tooth, follows young student turned MI5 agent, Serena Frome, as she enters a relationship with an author being watched by the government. Many of the aspects relating to authors and writing are based on McEwan’s own life, but unfortunately all the espionage intrigue is purely fictional. 

Nutshell is a Hamlet adaptation done in a totally different way — told with the titular character still inside the womb! What happens when a rather sentient baby experiences the set-up of the famous play. It’s clever, it’s inventive and it’s totally McEwan, with musings on a wide variety of subjects and complicated looks at relationships — familial and other. 

An emotional novel balancing the sprawling impact of post-Nazi Europe against the internal struggles of one couple and family, the tension spreads outward as the consequences of past actions come back to rattle a married couple and their son-in-law. This was a somewhat polarizing novel for critics but those that love it have considered it one of McEwan’s best. 

When a buttoned-up British couple take a vacation, they meet a mysterious man and his wife that set them hurtling down a path from an unsettling obsession toward a violent conclusion. Dealing with themes of love, power and control, The Comfort of Strangers will leave readers utterly enthralled and unable to look away, even when it’s too late. 

Solar is a comical and satirical novel about a scientist facing monumental personal and professional problems (mostly of his own making). From a floundering career to a series of unsuccessful romantic relationships, the main character must try and rectify these things in the shadow of the climate crisis. 

A hot air balloon accident leads to the death of a bystander, setting off a chain of events that will bring together many people who would have never met otherwise. This is a story of love, both of the requited and less-than-favorable unrequited varieties, madness and the consequences when those things mix. 

Kafka meets Brexit in this satirical novella published in the wake of the political situation in the UK. The Prime Minister wakes in the body of a cockroach and wreaks havoc in the government. McEwan exercises his comedic muscles with his take on the grim state of politics, media and government today. 

One of McEwan’s only books written for children, in this fantastical story, a young boy’s daydreams take him to the magical lands of fairy tale stories. Escaping his normal existence, he imagines turning into a cat, making people disappear and even trying his hand at adulthood. Many of McEwan’s favorite themes for his adult fiction make appearances even here in his children’s book.