Summary of Atonement
In the summer of 1935, on the country estate of her family in Surrey, 13-year-old Briony Tallis mistakenly identifies Robbie Turner – a family friend and the lover of her elder sister, Cecilia – as the man who assaulted her cousin, Lola. Robbie is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Years later, at the outbreak of the Second World War, Robbie is serving with the British Army in France, attempting to reach Dunkirk. Cecilia is working as a nurse in London, caring for wounded soldiers. Briony, now aged 18 and also training as a nurse, comes to understand the enormity of her mistake and struggles with how she might atone for the harm she has caused.
Reasons to read Atonement
“Atonement” is a gripping story about a naïve young girl’s misinterpretation of events and the lifelong remorse she feels for her false accusation. The novel is often regarded as Ian McEwan’s masterpiece and a modern classic of English literature. It won the WH Smith Literary Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2002 and appears on numerous “best of” lists, including The New York Times’ 2024 list of the best books of the 21st century, The Guardian’s 2019 list of the best books of the 21st century, and Time magazine’s 2010 list of the 100 greatest English-language novels since 1923. “Atonement” was adapted into an acclaimed film in 2007, starring Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, and James McAvoy. Other notable works by British author McEwan include “Amsterdam” (winner of the 1998 Booker Prize), “Saturday”, “On Chesil Beach”, “The Comfort of Strangers”, and “The Innocent”.
Setting: Surrey and London (England, UK) & Dunkirk (France)
The first part of the novel is set on the Tallis family’s idyllic country estate near the Surrey Hills in southeast England. The second takes place in northern France, following Robbie’s march towards Dunkirk during the British Army’s retreat. The third part is set in London, primarily in a war hospital near Westminster Bridge, during the Blitz.
Original title: Atonement
Year of publication: 2001
Nr of pages: 384
