I was torn between rating this book 4 1/2 stars or 5 stars. Had the book ended after Part Three, I would have had no qualms giving it 5 stars. Unfortunately, there followed an afterward, and I wasn't crazy about the content; when I put down the book, I didn't have that final sense of satisfaction that I would expect from a 5-star book. That said, I can appreciate the inventiveness of the ending, and as a piece of writing - as opposed to entertainment - I can see its value. In my opinion, Ian McEwan is easily one of the most talented modern writers of fiction I have read. He writes beautifully. His prose is clever, at times humorous, always full of imagery. Sentences are well-constructed around carefully chosen words, and I frequently found myself re-reading excerpts just to appreciate the full effect of his writing.
McEwan creates interesting, well-developed, complex characters. I was impressed with his convincing ability to get inside the head of his characters, and his keen insight into the different perspectives of a young girl, a middle-aged mother, or a grown man, even as they all experienced the same events.
Early on, I thought I would certainly not give the book 5 stars because of the constant anxiety I felt for an impending doom. While a bit of "Oh! I wonder what will happen next!" type of suspense is desirable in a good read, this book instead gave me a "Oh, no! Something terrible is going to happen! I can't stand it!" feeling of dread. Ultimately, when unfortunate events finally did unfold, I forgave the author the uneasy tension he caused in me - after all, the fact that he could elicit such strong emotion, pleasant or not, while keeping me thoroughly enthralled in the story is surely a sign of good writing.
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