My daughter, Rachel, introduced me to Ian McEwan via his blockbusting book Atonement, and I have been hooked ever since. I also like Saturday and Amsterdam and have read them more than once. Others such as The Cement Garden, The Comfort of Strangers, The Innocent, Black Dogs, and On Chesil Beach, I found intriguing with each page showing off McEwan’s brilliance.
Then there is McEwan’s latest book Solar. I delayed buying because the reviews I read were so bad. They slammed his attempts at humor and concluded that it wasn’t up to his usual work. I agree that it is different from his other stuff (Not as dark, not as manipulative), but I liked it. I laughed a lot and thought of another favorite British author of mine, David Lodge. Had Lodge’s name been written instead of McEwan, I would have been none the wiser. So, I liked Solar and recommend it for McEwan or Lodge enthusiasts.
Oh, by the way, the plot involves addressing global energy challenges and opportunities by a Nobel prize-winning goof ball.
