I loved this short novel by Ian McEwan. Orphaned at a young age, Jeremy has always admired the parents of his friends, and his in-laws are no exception. Closer to them than their own children are, Jeremy decides to write a book about their lives as they get older and more frail. The conflict in the book revolves around an anecdote told by June, his mother-in-law, which she sees as a defining moment of her life that slowly drives a wedge between her and her husband, Bernard. McEwan draws out the tale slowly so that the reader only learns of its significance near the end of the book. This book touched on the in-laws service during the second world war, their communist convictions (which didn't last long), and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. McEwan is a wonderful writer; every sentence is carefully crafted.
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