Reading Challenge January: Atonement

I started my reading challenge with a book that was on hand, so I started with this one, recommended by gnapp.

It is undeniably a very good book - the writing is impeccable, the storylines perfectly controlled, the underlying meta-narrative with it's carefully recursive form very cleverly woven through the structure of the story. It didn't engage me entirely - in parts, certainly, but not as a whole. The more I think about this structure, the more conscious I am of the way that the different parts of the book fit into the overall design and I'm amazed that it could be that deliberately clever and manage to be engaging at all.

As sometimes happens when I'm reading I found the artfulness almost created a layer of distance from the story for me - I could appreciate it but I found myself almost admiring the set rather than watching the play for much of the time. I suppose my overall feeling is that I was impressed more than I was moved by it.

A great read, nonetheless, thanks for the suggestion!