Ian McEwan: Nutshell

nutshell

The latest addition to my website is Ian McEwan‘s Nutshell. The novel is narrated by an unborn foetus, The foetus’ mother, Trudy, is separated from his father, John, a poet and poetry publisher, and is having a relationship with his uncle, Claude, the poet’s brother. The foetus realises that the couple are plotting to kill his father. As he is still only a foetus, albeit a very intelligent and knowledgeable one, he is not always sure of what is going on and cannot, of course, intervene. Or can he? The plot thickens when, to the surprise of Trudy and Claude, John knows about their affair and reveals his own lover. Claude and Trudy now have to bring forward their plan but will it work and will the police really think John has killed himself? It is not a bad book and very well told but still not up to the standard of the early McEwan novels.

Leave a comment