Atonement

I picked up this novel by Ian McEwan only because it has been made into a film, which brought it to my attention. I share the sentiments of some reviewers who say it is slow going (i.e., filled with lots of description as opposed to action, and covering the main events in overlapping accounts from various characters' viewpoints). I also agree with others that feel the characters are drawn with marvelous insight, and that each is a unique - albeit flawed - individual.

I did find the end a bit surprising. I tend to read openly, not trying to think ahead and guess what might happen, but simply let the writer draw out his or her story and follow where he or she leads me. So, often, I get to the end and have to page back and re-read some pieces to draw the conclusion together in my mind. In this book, McEwan is so subtle that I missed the clue, but in going back I saw clearly that he hadn't cheated to get there.

Having read the blurb, I knew that the setup would be that younger sister Briony would witness something involving older sister Cecilia and the housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner. At each event, I would wonder - "Is this it?". But that is a little cheat - possibly the fault of the publisher, not of the author - because what Briony sees and misunderstands (and must atone for) is not, strictly speaking, between Cecilia and Robbie, although their interactions do set up Briony's act. It is believable that, from the point of view of a young girl, she interprets their actions as she does. I simply wish I hadn't read the blurb on the novel first, as it mislead me as a reader.

McEwan's skillful use of language and description is worthy of attention for those who love the deft use of words to build images. Readers who love dialog and action scenes won't like this book. Perhaps the film would satisfy them more, for in film something has to be happening all the time or people will get bored and walk out. But I think there is a richness in this novel that we seldom see in publishing nowadays, and I liked it.

Intern

I will pretty much read any medical memoir, since I have a fondness for physicians and tend to select that profession (among a few other favorites) for the profession of characters in the novels I write. So I have always been interested in reading what "really happens" in order to write authentically about my characters' lives.

I think we idealize medicine in a way that obviously, we should not. Sandeep Jauhar's account of his medical school and intership/residency training makes it clear that medical training is somewhat like boot camp, tearing the person down to build them up again in a new way. That happens with the sleep deprivation and the unreasonable workload that Jauhar recounts experiencing in his internship year.

And it is frightening to see the model we now use in hospital care, where there are many resources to help a patient -- doctors, nurses, techs -- and a lot of expensive equipment and tests available -- but that the knowledge applied to any one patient is superficial. The surface symptoms are treated, but seldom does anyone have the time or concern to go deeper.

We as a culture have managed to make medicine like factory work. Jauhar cites the need to avoid lawsuits for unnecessary tests and interventions - that sometimes for fear of not doing enough, doctors do too much.

This is a nicely constructed memoir, honest and insightful.