Amsterdam by Ian McEwan – A Book Review

Questions about conscience, about rights and wrongs never have easy answers; do they have any answers at all? But anything that makes the reader uncomfortable, forces him to dive into the recesses of his thoughts, makes him struggle with his thoughts and that of the characters is remarkably good, an achievement for the writer.

Amsterdam revolves around some strong characters, Clive – an established musician, Vernon – an editor of a struggling newspaper called the Judge, Garmony – the foreign secretary and Molly Lane. Vernon and Clive, former lovers of the dead Molly are close friends, maybe the best. Molly, she lived an eventful life, a colourful one but death sucked and paled each shade and rendered her colourless in the end. Married to her husband George at the time of her death, she found it nearly impossible to recognize anyone as she laid suffering.

The others carry on in their establishments till some scandalous photographs find their way in the hands of Vernon. With these, Vernon feels elevated on the pedestal of power; the power to destroy the foreign secretary. But why would he do that, make a personal incident a public episode? Is it because he personally hates Garmony or is it because he is a good journalist and wants the world to know. Or maybe he thinks Garmony is the wrong person and doesn’t belong to the responsibility he bears. Should it matter if the end result, even though for a contemplated societal favour is borne out of a biased hateful mind. Does the end justify the means no matter how personal, how individualistic, no matter how odious the means are?

What would I do if I were in his skin? Grab the opportunity, convincing myself that I’m right, acting against my conscience or let my morals shove me out of this personal campaign? How easily these soulful words like conscience, morals and values, like the enlightening flame of a lit candle, escape skilfully like smoke with the mere blow of air in the presence of an opportunity. The strength of our character, I believe is how easily we can convince ourselves for or against our own values in the event of an opportunity. Clive too faces a similar dilemma, though in a different situation, where he could have made a difference had he chosen to, but doesn’t; only to be loathed by Vernon.

But somehow, as it always happens between McEwan and me; as I was pleasured on the decks of his titanic book, a disastrous iceberg lay ahead. Just when I thought this was the Ian McEwan book I will finally like, the end left me devastated; completely let down! Not because it was devastating in thought, but because it was so predictably horrendous; so ludicrous. I feel cheated by McEwan, by his hurried incapacity towards the end of the book; more so I feel being stabbed in the back by the Booker committee. Why, I wonder, how?

My Rating : * * * * * * * * * * - 5/10

Ian McEwan

Picture copyrights:
Amsterdam book cover - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amsterdam-Ian-McEwan/dp/0099272776
Ian McEwan - http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-children-act-by-ian-mcewan-9691662.html