I was quite impressed with my first Ian McEwan novel. Amsterdam is a well-thought-out,
tight-knit story detailing the breakdown of the lifelong friendship of a
leading composer, Clive Linley, and a newspaper editor, Vernon Halliday, in
England. McEwan’s short novel is ultimately about morality. It explores the
moral dilemma that the artist, Clive, faces as he tries to compose the
“Millennium Symphony” for the British Symphony Orchestra, and juxtaposes his
interpretation of the relationship between moral obligation and genius with
that of the newspaper editor, Vernon, who is determined to destroy the
political career of Julian Garmony—the foreign minister whose policies he finds
appalling. The characters’ ruminations are palpable as readers are lead through
their minds and experience their motives and decisions first hand. The novel’s
irony is potent, as McEwan’s tale comes full circle and past deeds come to
haunt Clive and Vernon. Most importantly, the prose is delectable, a truffle
that only gets better the deeper one bites into it.
The
novel opens in the dead of winter, at the cremation for Molly Lane, former
lover of both Clive and Vernon, where all of the novel’s major players have
converged. Clive and Vernon bemoan Molly’s early passing, and comment on the
despicableness of her jealous and controlling husband, George (a publisher),
who has refused to give a memorial service, because, according to Clive and
Vernon, he is so jealous that he does not want to hear her former lovers and
friends give eulogies. George, they believe, finally got what he wanted when
Molly fell suddenly ill and lost her mental faculties to the point that she had
to leave her apartments in the Lane mansion and trust herself to her husband’s
care. Julian Garmony, Molly’s most recent lover, is also in attendance, and
Vernon and Clive worry that his star is rising too fast and that he may soon
find himself in the prime minister’s chair; they fear for the country if he
does.
The
rest of the novel plays out over the ensuing months as both George and Clive
come to terms with Molly’s sudden and early death and the precariousness of
their own lives as they attempt to complete their respective masterpieces: for
George a newspaper edition that will effectively end Garmony’s career and that
is, in itself, a work of journalistic art; and for Clive the “Millennium
Symphony,” which will cement his position in history as the British Beethoven. Clive
and Vernon’s paths cross many times throughout the remainder of the novel, and
both make decisions that the other finds morally appalling. Their friendship is
tested to the point of breaking, until, finally, the novel culminates in their
meeting in Amsterdam, where Clive’s symphony will be played for the first time.
As I
mentioned at the outset, Amsterdam is
a short, but intricate and rewarding novel. It is not too literary for beach
reading, but it is still a great literary achievement. Its prose is beautiful
and its story compelling. McEwan is certainly a great writer, and I look
forward to reading him again in the future.
Next, I
will return to my history reading with The
Monument’s Men.
JCM
29 May 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment