![]() Clive is at war with himself throughout much of the book, an alcoholic artist mourning the loss of his beloved Molly, who weaves her way into his every thought: ‘Hard Knott, Ill Bell, Cold Pike, Poor Crag, Poor Molly…’ Clive’s impending deadline to finish his Millennium Symphony hangs over the novel, yet however frenetically he works, his efforts are frustrated and ultimately dismissed as an unoriginal ‘dud’. Indeed, Clive and Vernon Halliday are paralleled in their response to Molly’s death. Yet Clive is not so dissimilar to Molly’s other lovers as he might think. The novel begins with Molly’s funeral in London, where her male acquaintance is introduced as a kind of monstrous ménagerie, dismissed by the jealous Clive Linley as undesirable and unworthy of her interest. In less than 200 pages, McEwan spins a yarn which is slightly bewildering in its creative and emotional scope, whilst also maintaining an impressive degree of narrative control.ĭespite having died of a mysterious disease, Molly, a talented middle-aged writer, lies at the crux of the plot – the choices the male characters make largely revolve around her. ![]() ![]() Amsterdam is a swirling, disorientating swell of intrigue and betrayal. ![]()
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