Summer Reading- Something to Make Up For

Over the summer I read a very interesting novel concerning the life of the Tallis family through the eyes of many members, but especially through the eyes of Briony Tallis.  I chose this novel because of, interestingly, the title.  Something about the word, atonement, caught my attention and made me want to know more about what it meant, according to the characters in the novel.  Here is a specific example of how the author uses description to create the story and the technique of storytelling:

"But hidden drawers, lockable diaries, and cryptographic systems could not conceal from Briony the simple truth: She had no secrets. Her wish for a harmonious, organized world denied her the reckless possibilities of wrongdoing. Mayhem and destruction were too chaotic for her tastes, and she did not have it in her to be cruel. ... Nothing in her life was sufficiently interesting or shameful to merit hiding; no one knew about the squirrel's skull beneath her bed, but no one wanted to know."

This quote demonstrates the detailed descriptions about every single character that the author utilizes to further appeal to the reader and the different perspectives of the characters in Atonement.  One of the greatest strengths in the novel is the fact that every single moment, event, character, etc. is absolutely and thoroughly depicted in a clear fashion that I can so visualize the situations that Briony, Emily, and their guests encounter throughout the days in the Tallis home.  Even the instance where Briony is sitting in the nursery after her fantasies of preparing a play for the return of Leon, and she realizes that she no longer wants to write plays for the entirety of her life through the action of observing her hand and arm as she attempts to tell her brain to move her arm.  It is just a simple action, but it reveals the inner thoughts of Briony, and the decision that she makes to continue her life on a different path:

"She raised one hand and flexed its fingers and wondered, as she had sometimes before, how this thing, this machine for gripping, this fleshy spider on the end of her arm, came to be hers, entirely at her command. Or did it have some little life of its own? She bent her finger and straightened it. The mystery was in the instant before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and moving, when her intention took effect. It was like a wave breaking. If she could only find herself at the crest, she thought, she might find the secret of herself, that part of her that was really in charge."

The former passage is a more than perfect example of how the human mind works and makes decisions considering all points of view, and how humans interact with their given environment to further themselves to yield the greatest outcome in one’s life.  This just so happens to not be the case with only Briony Tallis, but also Robbie Turner.  In his case, Robbie has always been the Tallis home “gardener” if you will, and in exchange has been given the opportunity to get an education on behalf of the Tallis family.  In many moments throughout the novel, the reader takes a dive into the mind of Robbie Turner to see his views on what his place is in the Tallis family and why he has yet to explore the depths of the educational world.  Also, Robbie seems to have an obsession with Cecilia, one of the Tallis daughters.  With this, we see the thoughts of why Robbie seems to have this obsession with Cecilia and later on in the novel, the hidden love that Cecilia and Robbie have for each other, which is quite interesting in of itself.  For these few but meaty points, is why I chose to read Atonement by Ian McEwan.  The sheer reality of the book is basically practical, but the way in which it is described makes it seem somewhat whimsical in the sense that life goes by so fast that humans do not know what to do with it or what to make of it.  It is an unfathomable question that most would agree to be at least one reason to read novels, let alone reading Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Most Memorable Books

Here are some of my most memorable books that I have read over the years of my life.

1.  Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
When I first read this book, it absolutely struck me as one of the most interesting books I've ever read.  Of course I was much younger, but still to this day I have always enjoyed that book.  It is basically the first somewhat long book I read that was absolutely intriguing.

2.  Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Having read this book last year in English class, I found that Holden Caulfield and his world was astonishing in the sense that it was something that I have never found in a book before.  It was different to the very core from anything else, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

3.  Just Me and My Dad
This is by far the most memorable children's book that I have, and it has an extraordinary signifance for me and my childhood, the reason being that every time I would read this book before I would go to bed I would read it with my dad.  I always read it that way, and I never read it alone.  It was and still is a great book with very important sentimental value that connects me with my childhood.

4.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
This book is a favorite because of the fact that the world that Huckleberry Finn lives in is defined by rules, guidelines etc. but he and his friends that he has take the story to a new level because they defy the rules and make the world their own in their own fashion.  The book is very relatable.

5.  The Phantom Tollbooth
I enjoyed reading this book because the world which exists in the book is completely made up and absolutely not real.  This type of thinking outside the box is very interesting for me, and this book appealed to that interest.

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.