Review: The Children Act

I always start an Ian McEwan novel with a certain amount of trepidation. I loved Atonement and On Chesil Beach and some of his very first novels. But I hated Saturday. The Children Act, however, I found compelling, although with McEwan’s cool style, I always feel a bit removed from the emotional drama that is unfolding. Having worked as a legal secretary and then in a law library, I found the descriptions and explanations of legal dilemmas fascinating. I identified with Fiona and her internal dialogues - I thought her husband was not a real person but more a device by which McEwan could manipulate his narrative. This would make a great book club selection, as so many moral and ethical issues are raised regarding the law, religion, marriage, parenting….really quite endless. There is no argument that McEwan is a great writer, his prose is beautiful, but I always feel I’m being held at arms length and not allowed to be as moved as I feel I should be.

• Review
• Ian McEwan