Title: Atonement
Author: Ian McEwan
Published by: Vintage
Published on: 2001
Page numbers: 372
If I had the power to conjure them... still alive, still in love, sitting side by side...? It's not impossible.
London, 1999
Meet Briony Tallis, a 13 year old girl from an upper-class family in 1930s England. She was an aspiring writer and would often write stories to read in front of her dotting and proud parents. Her older sister, Cecilia, just graduated from University of Cambridge (FANCY) and was spending the summer in the family's mansion. When the story opened, Briony was writing a play called Arabella to welcome her cousins who came to visit: Lola and her twin little brothers.
That afternoon, in the heat of the summer, Briony saw something that her immature perspective couldn't comprehend: Robbie Turner, the son of the housekeeper, with Cecilia in the garden. Briony thought Robbie was acting aggresive towards Cecilia, when in fact they were just having sexual tension, lol. This would become important later on when a series of letter mix-up and eventual rape to which Briony was the witness led her to accuse Robbie of the crime. Without further investigation, Robbie was arrested and imprisoned. Only Cecilia and his mother believed him innocent.
Fast forward several years later to the Second World War, we meet Robbie who was released from prison on the condition of him drafting into the army. Cecilia cut all ties from her family members, and the now grown-up Briony finally realised the extent of her mistake and sought atonement.
I see what you did there, Ian
Now training to be a nurse in the front line of war, she still wrote though not in reckless abandon as she did in her younger years. She treated every soldier as if they had been Robbie himself and she tried to gather courage to visit Cecilia again. Mostly, she wanted to apologise and to rectify her mistakes, as much as she could.
Humans are fickle things, indeed. They grow and mature, or to wilt and die. Could Robbie and Cecilia find a way to come back together? Would Briony ever be free from her lifelong guilt? How could one atone when so many lives were ruined and there seemed to be no going back?
EGGLYSIS
If you're wondering whether the movie lived up to the book, I would say yes. It's a mostly faithful adaptation, and that feeling of having what remains of happiness snatched away from you also happened at the end. Like having someone took away the carpet you stood on in one smooth motion, only to discover that you're actually free falling in mid-air.
This book has a slow buildup, especially in the first half. Once the timeline shifts to the Second World War, the plot picks up and the characters are moving in unexpected directions. The one character that I truly enjoy reading is Briony, of course. At the beginning of the story, she was this self-righteous, immature girl whom I just want to slap. But time and perspective, especially from Cecilia's, were exactly what she needed to grow up and see what damage she'd done. Even the big reveal at the end feels like a conclusion of her lifelong attempt of apologising to her sister and to Robbie.
I lost my brother-in-law to cancer not a month ago. His death was a terrible blow to our family, and especially to my sister and her two young kids. They were only married for 5 years, and even until now the kids are still asking for their dad. He was especially very close to the eldest. Most nights, I find myself staring into the darkness of my room, imagining scenarios, alternate universes, whatever you may, where he were still alive, still well, my sister didn't have to try and be strong every minute of every day, my nephew and niece could spoil themselves silly with him. Sometimes I wonder if I imagined it hard enough, maybe it would come true instead and this reality would be just another nightmare. But it doesn't.
After more than a decade, I finally understand Briony's motivation. If this world is too cruel to give them a happy ending, let me write one for them. Maybe not as an atonement, like Briony did, but more like a gift. In my world, the Silitongas are complete and happy and content.
Overall, Atonement...
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