REVIEW
ATONEMENT
Valeria López
A whimsical, intrinsic, and enchanting world soon becomes sorrowful, guilt-ridden, and yearning in McEwan’s Atonement, published in 2001. This novel follows three main protagonists, Briony Tallis, Cecilia Tallis, and Robbie Turner. The wealthy Tallis family receives their cousins, the Quincies, as Briony, the youngest sister, prepares her play. Meanwhile, star-crossed longing feelings arise between Robbie and Cecilia. They face issues regarding class since the former is the son of the nanny and the latter is a promising aristocrat. The following days lead to a series of tumultuous events until we reach the pinnacle of the plot where the two are caught in a compromising position.
The second half of this body of work is where we can truly admire how the author beautifully portrays the characters desperately holding on to their values and beliefs as they confront difficult situations. The remarkable writing is what kept my jaw agape the entire time. With descriptive lines such as:
“The smooth-hollowed, partly enclosed forms of its first three letters were as clear as a set of anatomical drawings. Three figures huddling at the foot of the cross. That the word had been written by a man confessing to an image in his mind, confiding a lonely preoccupation, disgusted her profoundly.”
He illustrates such simple occurrences yet has an incredible gift for giving life to the words.
The plot itself was a highlight as well. Though slow, I was always in need to know what would happen next. The intrigue was perfectly constructed to keep the reader flipping the pages. Robbie’s storyline had me shedding tears at 2am and Briony’s character arc was especially satisfying. Their identities develop for the better through grueling circumstances that make them question the meaning of their own life.
The picture of how a rapid yet deeply impactful moment in someone’s life can radically change them forever is breathtakingly captured in this novel. I rated it 5 stars. Atonement is an iconic piece of literature full of alluring yet poignant writing that should be placed on your To Read list.