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"On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese, ISBN 0385522401, $22.00)

Ian McEwan, the brilliant author of "Saturday" and "Atonement" has departed from
his lengthy form in his slim new novel entitled "On Chesil Beach." Set in 1962,
the book tells of the wedding night of Florence and Edward, a young couple on
the verge of the rest—-and the best part-—of their lives. In five scenes, McEwan
sagaciously zooms in on the details and decisions that tell the life story of
the conflicted couple.

Florence, whose violin playing is "sinuous and exact," practices 5 hours a day
and leads her quartet of ambitious musicians. She visits the best tearooms with
friends and avoids emotional conflicts with others for fear of failing to
restrain herself. Edwin, is a lover of jazz and rock and roll; he prefers the
pubs of Soho and the reading room of the British Museum and is prone to physical
recklessness. McEwan writes that their courtship has been "bound by protocols
never agreed or voiced but generally observed."

"On Chesil Beach" is an impeccable examination of how our past imbues us with
innocent responses and innate desires to please, and how it will inevitably,
profoundly, inform our future.

Review by Sarah Bagby July 5, 2007

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