Saturday

Saturday, by Ian McEwen

I don't know about you but, whenever I begin a book by Ian McEwen I get the immediate feeling that I am in good hands. He is as close as we can get to a master literary craftsman these days. His quiet confidence is once again on display in Saturday, which is just the latest in his long line of fine suspenseful novels.

The novel takes place in the course of a day. London neurosurgeon awakes early and spots in the morning sky a plane on fire, heading towards Heathrow. This may or may not symbolize that direction that this particular day will head for him. I won't go into the plot too much, just to say that I found it refreshing to read about a fictional character who is actually happy with his life. He's a successful surgeon. He appears to still be very much in love with his wife and has two well-adjusted and talented children, both of whom figure prominently in the book. This happiness is suddenly shattered in a matter of moments and the readers envy of Perowne quickly turns to revulsion at the circumstances he find he and his family themselves immersed in.
-Stephen