A New Light to Storytelling

     Over the summer, one book that I happened to read that contained good storytelling was Atonement by Ian McEwan.  This novel did not have just simple storytelling like some novels would, it had a quite complex form of storytelling through not one single character but by almost all of the characters present in the novel.  This was not only fascinating, it was eye-catching from the very beginning of Atonement and is one aspect of McEwan's novel that I was interested in more than others.  In most instances it was a single moment or event that was described and explained through the eyes of at least two characters, such as Briony or Robbie for example.  Using this technique to further deepen my understanding of the plot and the different thoughts of each character was well thought out by Ian McEwan, and it creates many layers to a single event in time.  Reading this style of novel was a nice change from various other novels that were far simpler that I have read over the years of my life.  It was Atonement in particular that struck an interest in me, and it is the way McEwan constructs his words that creates a peculiar situation where one moment can be thought of in numerous ways compared to a simpler novel that does not utilize such writing techniques.  Following is a passage from the perspective of Emily, the Tallis mother who is bed ridden with sickness.  She observes what is happening through her senses, and hears Mr. Marshall speaking to the children in the nursery, which happened to be a passage before:

She tumbled away into a doze, and was woken by the drone of a man's voice in the nursery, and children answering.  Surely not Leon, who would be inseparable from his sister now they were reunited.  It would be Mr. Marshall whose room was just along from the nursery, and he was talking to the twins, she decided, rather than Lola.  Emily wondered if they were being impertinent, for each twin seemed to behave as though his social obligations were halved.

     This passage is a perfect example of how McEwan utilizes this technique of explaining one event through the eyes, or other senses, of more than one character.  In this case it is between Mr. Marshall and Emily Tallis.  For this reason alone I believe that Atonement by Ian McEwan is a fine example of storytelling because of the innovative twist that is put on the plot and plot sequence of the novel.