 – Customer review on 03/05/2008
So many people hate this one - but I liked the concept from the moment that I heard Ian McEwan (on TV) speak about it.
It is July 1962. Edward and Florence, young innocents married that morning, arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their room they struggle to suppress their private fears of the wedding night to come.
*Almost a Plot Spoiler*
I love what McEwan does with the character of Florence in the final chapter. She becomes a ghost, a reminder of relationships that never were fulfilled. I felt like Edward, coming to some understanding of the situation after years of reflection and opportunity to mature, was never able to completely confront what had happened on the beach that night. His quick judgment and both of their inability to see any further than a few months into the future is a shameful flaw. I feel a little teased in that we never know what happened to Florence, she is not blameless in the miscommunication between husband and wife. It is almost like she bears less of the guilt if we don't get to know more about her reflections of that day....but then again, I loved sharing in Edward's aching separation from her. If we had revisited her in another chapter, that would be lost.
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