Wednesday 18 October 2017

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

"It is shaming sometimes,  how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions."

I noticed that this slim volume has recently been adapted into a movie ( I chanced upon it while looking up the Cunard British Film Festival ) and I am generally a stickler for reading the book before the movie.Certainly it made for an amazing read. 

McEwan so perfectly captures that communication gap that can really skewer things when it comes to sexual awakenings. The first time can be fraught because we lack the experience to understand what the other person is thinking and the confidence to explain our own feelings and apprehensions.

Set in 1962 the novel draws the reader into the torment that surrounds the prospect of a wedding night and misaligned expectations. It is beautifully realised and at times difficult to read, as the reader becomes deeply enmeshed in the inner fears and emotions of a couple who can't quite voice their true feelings. I could continue to bang on about how great this is, and yet, life is short, you should just go read it for yourself.

5 out of 5 hidden torments are the indelible ones.

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