Nutshell

Brilliant is a term we sometimes throw around too lightly but it is more than deserved in this instance. Thought-provoking, mesmerizing, these are some adjectives that come to mind when thinking on this book. I have not read anything like this, and surely only McEwan could provide us with such an offering.

3,5☆

This is a very strange book, as it is from the point of view of the unborn baby in Trudy's stomach. The mind and thoughts that the baby supposedly has are unrealistic and overdone.

Ian McEwan is definitely among my top favorite writers of all time. He first enchanted me with Atonement, then went on to shock me with The Cement Garden, and finally completely entranced me with the morbidity of The Comfort of Strangers. He is the master of writing blunt, entangled, and dark relationships that you cannot help, but be tempted to spy on through the author's keyhole. I really should read McEwan more often. The most interesting angle for me in this book is its narrator - the nine-month-old fetus, - whose observations and commentary go well beyond his years or experience. He enjoys the wines his mother Trudy occasionally drinks, dreams of good books accompanied by Bach, and despises Claude - his mother's new lover. This not-yet-born child weighs in on infidelity and his father's submissive nature, discusses how much of Claude or John resides in his own psyche, and tries to convince himself of Trudy's love, despite the ever-increasing evidence to the contrary. More on Chaika Books

Nutshell, Ian McEwan The unborn witness of the plot is witty, sensible and has its ears plucked so he could be more than a witness, but act on its beliefs or simply state its opinion: ''Pessimism is too easy, even delicious, the badge and plume of intellectuals everywhere. It absolves the thinking classes of solutions. We excite ourselves with dark thoughts in plays, poems, novels, movies. And now in commentaries. [...] We'll always be troubled by how things are- that's how it stands with the difficult gift of consciousness.''(27-29) McEwan's phrases thrive with meaning and more than a dozen times have I found myself going back and reread some paragraphs just for the bliss of grasping a deeper meaning or enjoy the author's choice of words: insightful and sophisticated. More or less ironic: ''But here's life most limiting truth- it's always now, always here, never then and there.'' (29) The plot remains gripping but the McEwan's readers will be drawn by the sentence construction pertaining to human consciousness, climate change, social affairs, the philosophy of love and marriage etc. Even so, his monologues don't seem pedantic but astute. Even though it is a tragic story and no good outcome could stem from the plot, there is beauty and hopefullness emerging from telling the story. As I'm reading on Shakespeare at the moment, the bits taken from Hamlet linking the title to its narrator shows the author's spot on choice of words: "Oh God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a King of infinite space - were it not for bad dreams" The narrator's choice of telling the story through the fetus' voice makes him omniscient, though he cannot twist the plot. However, is it so? And to please my romantic side: ''Lovers arrive at their first kisses with scars as well as longings. They're not always looking for advantage. Some need shelter, others press only for the hyperreality of ecstasy, for which they'll tell outrageous lies or make irrational sacrifice. But they rarely ask themselves what they need or want. Memories are poor for past failures. (124) Food for thought: ''Don't unpack your heart. One detail tells the truth. ''

could have given it four stars, but claude is so unbelievably disgusting 🤢🤮

A compulsive read, quite enjoyable thanks to the snarky, erudite narrator, a near-term fetus.

Weird (which seems to be a theme recently). The perspective of the unborn baby kept me engaged and curious, although this refreshing take may have been the only reason I rated this book as I high as I have. None of the characters were likable nor were they truly "hateable".

** spoiler alert ** Likes: - Really unique perspective/narrator. - I was drawn into the last couple of chapters (after the chief inspector comes over) Dislikes: - Overall didn't really feel invested in the plot of this story. - Truly hated Trudy and Claude. I wanted them to go down with the ship - The language surrounding the whole anatomy/sex/pregnancy thing sorta grossed me out. - The fetus is wayyyy too smart! And knowledgeable about things (i.e. appearances, etc) that make no sense at all. - Did not really care for the writing style. Too intelligent/pertinacious feeling

Best book I ever read.