Book Tamers| book reviews

In Atonement, Ian McEwan presents one of the most interesting love scenes I have read lately. His most recent novel evolves around the presentation of the first night in the life of a newly weds, in a conservative social context.

Although it is not a real novel, On Chesil Beach resembles a classic drama in five acts.
The story takes place in 1962, a period that is precursory to sexual revolution (a motive that will be very discussed along the book). Edward and Florence are two young people who get married and spend their first night together in a hotel in Dorset, somewhere on the English Channel.

They’re both virgins and they live the thrill of their first night in different ways: Edward’s shyness mingles with anticipation, whilst Florence lives a true inner drama, between happiness and disgust, being actually terrified with the little she knew about sex.
During this tensioned scene between the two, the reader gets acquainted with their past- their families, personalities, their plans and future hopes, their sensitivity, the lack of experience and ease, all these in a time when discussions about sexuality or sexual problems were practically impossible.

McEwan recreates the sexual tension perfectly, blending both past and present problems of the two: Edward’s anxiety of waiting and Florence’s fright concerning sexual intimacy. These unsaid problems will lead to an event that will change their relationship for good.

The geography of the Chesil Beach is characterized by a 25 kilometer land that time and sea have shaped in a certain way. Little rocks are polished and placed in an increasing way, depending on their size, along the 25 kilometer land, so that the beach is like a map of time. The local fishermen pride themselves with the capacity of identifying their exact location by looking only at the size and the form of the stones.

McEwan’s story sets the words as stones on a beach of time. The way the author makes the tension evolve is incredible, even when the whole drama is nothing more than a drama of unsaid words and fear of failure. The social context that influences the two characters’ life decisions is also described carefully and it is actually a good reason to read the book. On another hand, the purity and the exaggerated naivety of the characters, the microscopic structure of the story, and the light analysis of their personalities are not enough to create, in my opinion, a real novel.

As in Atonement, McEwan’s style is subtle, gently graded, with no peak of tension, and which in the end leaves a striking dramatic conclusion: the way a life can change is by doing nothing at all.

Written by: Alin