The Children Act by Ian McEwan
14:26Notes on the Author
Ian Russell McEwan is an English novelist and screenwriter. He is noted as one of 'The 50 greatest British writers since 1945' - The Times
He won the Man Booker Prize with Amsterdam (1998). In 2001, he published Atonement which was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. In 2011, he was awarded the Jerusalem Prize.
I have never read an Ian McEwan novel, even after my well read cousin recommended Atonement to me, however I was always well aware of his reputation and excited to read The Children Act.
What deterred me from this novel at first was its unfamiliar vocabulary. Although I love finding new words, and make a habit of looking them up and scribbling their definitions on the page, it seemed the beginning of this novel was littered with vocabulary that was foreign to me.
However, determined to persevere - I took my own advice and tried to overlook such words and read around the context for overall meaning (unless it was completely necessary and then I looked up their definitions).
Once I got through that hurdle I couldn't put it down. McEwan's detail and thorough research was exemplary in this novel. It truly did shine for me. Although it was a short novel, the suspense and breadth of detail really did make it seem longer.
The story follows Fiona Maye, a high court judge who regularly deals with difficult family related cases. Whilst she works hard to give fair and impartial ruling to try and heal dysfunctional and broken families, her own is deteriorating as her husband admits an affair and leaves their home.
In a bid to escape from her marital woes, Fiona focuses on a difficult case involving a 17 year old Jehovahs Witness, Adam, who is refusing an imperative blood transfusion to help cure him of life threatening Leukaemia.
Unable to make a decision in court as to whether to force the boy into treatment or respect his religious believes and let him die, she chooses to visit Adam in hospital and whilst doing so the pair have an important conversation. Fiona leaves a great impression on Adam, and upon returning to court she overrules his wishes and grants the hospital the authority to start the blood transfusion.
Time passes and Fiona returns to the normal hum drum of work. Her husband has returned home citing the whole affair as a mistake but Fiona is finding it hard to forgive and the relationship is still rocky. Adam however, is recovering well and growing stronger, he has returned to school and is catching up with his schoolwork. He sends letters to Fiona's work and home asking to meet so he can thank her for saving his life, however to maintain a professional distance she does not reply.
It is only when Fiona is sent to Newcastle for work does she encounter Adam again. This time he has followed her from London, hitchhiking rides and waiting in the rain for her. Fiona is shaken however keeps a calm and collected manner with Adam. He explains how he wanted to die for want of the attention, and not entirely for religious reasons, imagining his family and classmates crying and wishing they could have done more. He admits his childishness and thanks her for allowing him to see the light. When he suggests moving in with her, Fiona is shocked and embarrassed and immediately shuts him down, sending him on his way. In a moment of weakness she kisses him on the lips before watching him drive off in a taxi.
Once again the encounter is forgotten, and her marriage is improving. Things are looking up for Fiona. She receives one last letter from Adam, a scorned poem, describing things of a religious nature, however she is distracted and doesn't think any more of Adam or the letter.
The story ends quite disappointedly in an expected way (I won't give that away) and I must admit the build up did not equal the ending.
I was happy to find Fiona and her husband getting their marriage back on track, however was irritated by Adams character as he came across as a petulant child who used his illness to garner attention and sympathy.
What I did love about the book however, was that it shone a light on the wonders of our judiciary system, and many judges in our high courts who deal with these matters on a daily basis, many like Fiona who work tirelessly to protect the welfare of innocent people like Adam.
McEwan's writing is very well researched and eloquently written with brilliant attention to detail and exquisite language. Overall a wonderful but anti-climatical novel!
Gx
I have never read an Ian McEwan novel, even after my well read cousin recommended Atonement to me, however I was always well aware of his reputation and excited to read The Children Act.
What deterred me from this novel at first was its unfamiliar vocabulary. Although I love finding new words, and make a habit of looking them up and scribbling their definitions on the page, it seemed the beginning of this novel was littered with vocabulary that was foreign to me.
However, determined to persevere - I took my own advice and tried to overlook such words and read around the context for overall meaning (unless it was completely necessary and then I looked up their definitions).
Once I got through that hurdle I couldn't put it down. McEwan's detail and thorough research was exemplary in this novel. It truly did shine for me. Although it was a short novel, the suspense and breadth of detail really did make it seem longer.
The story follows Fiona Maye, a high court judge who regularly deals with difficult family related cases. Whilst she works hard to give fair and impartial ruling to try and heal dysfunctional and broken families, her own is deteriorating as her husband admits an affair and leaves their home.
In a bid to escape from her marital woes, Fiona focuses on a difficult case involving a 17 year old Jehovahs Witness, Adam, who is refusing an imperative blood transfusion to help cure him of life threatening Leukaemia.
Unable to make a decision in court as to whether to force the boy into treatment or respect his religious believes and let him die, she chooses to visit Adam in hospital and whilst doing so the pair have an important conversation. Fiona leaves a great impression on Adam, and upon returning to court she overrules his wishes and grants the hospital the authority to start the blood transfusion.
Time passes and Fiona returns to the normal hum drum of work. Her husband has returned home citing the whole affair as a mistake but Fiona is finding it hard to forgive and the relationship is still rocky. Adam however, is recovering well and growing stronger, he has returned to school and is catching up with his schoolwork. He sends letters to Fiona's work and home asking to meet so he can thank her for saving his life, however to maintain a professional distance she does not reply.
It is only when Fiona is sent to Newcastle for work does she encounter Adam again. This time he has followed her from London, hitchhiking rides and waiting in the rain for her. Fiona is shaken however keeps a calm and collected manner with Adam. He explains how he wanted to die for want of the attention, and not entirely for religious reasons, imagining his family and classmates crying and wishing they could have done more. He admits his childishness and thanks her for allowing him to see the light. When he suggests moving in with her, Fiona is shocked and embarrassed and immediately shuts him down, sending him on his way. In a moment of weakness she kisses him on the lips before watching him drive off in a taxi.
Once again the encounter is forgotten, and her marriage is improving. Things are looking up for Fiona. She receives one last letter from Adam, a scorned poem, describing things of a religious nature, however she is distracted and doesn't think any more of Adam or the letter.
The story ends quite disappointedly in an expected way (I won't give that away) and I must admit the build up did not equal the ending.
I was happy to find Fiona and her husband getting their marriage back on track, however was irritated by Adams character as he came across as a petulant child who used his illness to garner attention and sympathy.
What I did love about the book however, was that it shone a light on the wonders of our judiciary system, and many judges in our high courts who deal with these matters on a daily basis, many like Fiona who work tirelessly to protect the welfare of innocent people like Adam.
McEwan's writing is very well researched and eloquently written with brilliant attention to detail and exquisite language. Overall a wonderful but anti-climatical novel!
Gx
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