Review by Amanda Hampson

McEwan’s name invariably sparks a lively discussion as to which book is whose favourite and perhaps this is because, despite common themes, each of his 11 novels is very different.  His style has evolved over time from early sinister novels such as The Cement Garden and The Comfort of Strangers to the increasingly widely admired works of Enduring Love, Atonement, Saturday and On Chesil Beach.

His latest work, Solar, is a masterfully plotted concoction spiced with satire that draws the reader inextricably into the life of its hapless hero Michael Beard; a Nobel prize-winning scientist who has been resting on his laurels for several decades. Beard develops a plan to save the world from climate change disaster but at the same time is incapable of avoiding personal disaster. He manages to make the wrong decision for the wrong reason most of the time - and mostly gets away with it. Beard’s modus operandi involves every one of the seven deadly sins; even his blueprint to save the world and his reasons for doing it are both morally corrupt.

McEwan delivers this potentially highly distasteful protagonist to the page with such clarity and insight that we tolerate his trespasses in the hope he will at some point do something admirable that will allow us to forgive him. As the story twists and turns, McEwan pushes up the heat for Beard then, just when all seems lost, he delivers a sliver of redemption in the closing moments. 

Stunning writing with a sly sense of humour, Solar may possibly be the novel McEwanophiles all agree on as simply brilliant.

Amanda Hampson is the author of The Olive Sisters and Two for the Road and also runs fiction and memoir writing workshops:www.thewriteworkshops.com.