Atonement

When I read the last paragraph of Atonement, I exhaled deeply to clear my mind. It was like waking up from a heavy, troubling dream. The tone of the novel was set the moment I turned the first page, and it started building up till it took hold of my nerves and frayed them. Atonement is truly a masterpiece in its depth and study of the human nature. It is about life and making choices that can affect all the people around us. The author, Ian McEwan, is frighteningly accurate in his analysis of the human spirit. I've never read a novel that portrays the inner twists and turns that inhibit that thoughts of everyone of us so vividly.

The story is about Briony, a privileged young girl with a creative mind and a unique view of the world surrounding her. On a hot summer day, she witnesses a scene between her older sister, Cecila, and the son of their gardener, Robbie, in front of the big fountain that adorns the mansion they live in. Briony does not understand what has passed between the young couple. Fueled by anxiety and misunderstanding, she secretly reads a private letter that Robbie sends to Cecilia. When she comes across the couple in the library and sees something that her innocent mind can not comprehend, her reasoning breaks. Then a terrible crime takes place, and Briony points her accusing finger at Robbie which starts a rippling effect that will destroy the life of two people forever.
A highly recommended and enjoyable book. An unapologetic and seething account of war, love, hope, and atonement. Atonement has been made into a movie that is playing now in the US. I've waited until I finished the book, and now I am very excited to go and see it. Here is the trailer: