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Atonement Book Cover

Atonement
By Ian McEwan
Knopf Doubleday
February 2003
368pp

The Short of It:

Atonement is a multifaceted little gem of a book.

The Rest of It:

During the summer of 1935, Briony witnesses an encounter between her older sister Cecilia and a boy named Robbie Turner. Briony’s interpretation of the event and those thereafter, lead her to tell a devastating lie. As time passes, the realization of what she’s done leaves her desperate for redemption and forgiveness which only the absolute truth can bring.

I love this book. I first read it years ago for book group but recently re-read it for the class I am taking. In class, we took several weeks to discuss it and let me tell you, it was quite a treat to have that much time to discuss the book. This is one of those books that is a bit of everything. There’s a love story, betrayal, the loss of innocence, war and the whole theme of atonement itself…it’s just so rich. So full.

As you read, your thoughts go one way and then another. McEwan’s attention to detail was tiresome for some, but for me? I lapped it up. The setting and the characters were easy to picture in my mind and I found that I could relate to several of the characters at once. A young girl, living in a huge house out in the English countryside tells a lie that can’t be taken back. How can you resist that?

Atonement is considered by many to be McEwan’s best work. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001 and this is one case where I can totally understand why.

In class, we watched bits of the movie which came out in 2007 and starred Keira Knightly and James McAvoy.

Atonement the Movie

The parts that I saw were wonderful and really did the book justice. Makes me want to see the entire film now.

If you have a copy of Atonement lying around, I encourage you to pick it up and read it and if you don’t have a copy, you might want to get one. It’s one of those books that will make you love reading all over again.

Source: Purchased

Proof Cover

Proof: A Play
By David Auburn
Faber and Faver
March 2001
96pp

The Short of It:

A past-paced, gripping play about young woman struggling with the recent loss of her father, the arrival of her uptight sister, and her own self-doubt over whether or not she’s sane.

The Rest of It:

Proof, a play by David Auburn is about a young woman named Catherine, who finds her sanity questionable after caring for, and losing her father to mental illness and heart failure. After spending the last few years frustrated and concerned over her father’s wellbeing and internalizing those feelings, she is suddenly thrust into society and forced to look at herself. We are invited into her world to feel as she does, vulnerable, fragile and completely unsure of herself.

If the storyline sounds familiar to you, you might be remembering the movie which came out in 2005 and starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins. As far as adaptations go, the movie was actually pretty good.

Proof The Movie

I read the play for my Contemporary Lit class and I loved it. It’s filled with conflict and doubt and then there are the conversations that revolve around mathematics (might as well be a different language to me) but they were necessary and powerful in conveying the absolute brilliance of both father and daughter. The main question here is whether or not Catherine has inherited her father’s mental illness as well. Auburn does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing. It’s a quick read, only 96pp but as soon as I finished it I went right back and read it again.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a play but it was refreshing and broke up my reading rut. Reading it reminded me of all the drama classes I took in college. So much is left up to your interpretation and I sort of like being challenged that way.

After reading it, I saw the movie and it was really very good. The whole experience was a win-win.

Have you ever read a play? If not, I encourage you to pick one up. Reading one is entirely different than reading a book but it’s an enjoyable experience.

Source: Purchased

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