The harmony is severely disrupted, as Jack, very classic midlife crisis, it opened, he intended to begin an affair with a 38 year old: "I love you, but before I drop dead, I want one big passionate affair." Typical of McEwan's ironic that this romantic destination to be just driven by a statistician; one suspects the same, which can not function.
Humiliated and shaken tried Fiona, continue to exist in their demanding job and realizes that her all the does not help professional wisdom and experience in dealing with estranged couples to the necessary serenity in personal crisis. On the contrary, she finds herself "down there with the rest, swimming with the tide desolate."
As always, McEwan's figure drawing masterly, its language closely and chased down to the last comma. Again I was struck by how amazingly good he can empathize with a female psyche. Fiona's inner turmoil, her anger, humiliation, her attempt to remain calm, as well as their analysis of the possible reasons of the marital crisis, all that is credible and authentic. He writes about this rational woman who can not talk about their feelings, with noticeable sympathy; clearly likes and he respects his protagonist, and that for which it stands: Fiona is one of the righteous established do that can corrupt not have from their professional success, but still have a sensitive conscience to which they measure their actions.
As an illustration of Fiona's life can the atheist McEwan deploy a phalanx of cases, which have in common is each in the conflict between the beliefs of the parents and the child well. His detailed description of the respective cases shows how he fascinated by the complex, always tried to be the best, though fallible justice system is as much dependent on the in a constitutional state. When it finally comes to the case of the teenager who would rather die than accept a blood transfusion, it is exciting as in a Grisham thriller. Of course, no other verdict is possible as the one who saves the young man's life, and naturally resists the temptation McEwan, the misguided parents, Jehovah's Witnesses, to overstate.
Adam (who reminds me of some elven or vampire figures from far fewer literary works), not Jack, is ultimately bringing Fiona at their emotional limit. The relationship between Fiona and Adam arrives at a point where I wondered how McEwan wants to find out from this number with no bad taste again - and here too had his elegant resolution can tolerate more bite. More convincing that Fiona that has been Adams legal rescue fails on the human level: What made you so successful in his job, the strict following of rules, Adam is undoing.
The criticism has mostly rejected as too smooth and civil McEwan's new novel. I read it quite differently - it's a book about the limits of objectivity, about the failure in success, especially about the cowardice of morality. Great to read, engaging, like a legal thriller. Chapeau!