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Black Dogs
by Ian McEwan
by Ian McEwan
I'm re-christening this season "The Time I Made an Over-the-Top Claim About How Much Love Ian McEwan and Had To Retract It A Day Later."
Seriously, though, I just read what appears to be universally recognized as one of his masterpieces, and although the prose was perfect as usual, I didn't love the plot or the way he illustrated his themes. The titular black dogs are supposed to be symbolic of an evil that always lurks nearby, particularly in the history of Europe, but I found their usage as symbols to be too obvious, and I found the episode involving the actual black dogs -- an episode foreshadowed and alluded to throughout the novel -- to be pretty anti-climactic.
After finishing the book I read some reviews -- professional and otherwise -- that gave me a deeper appreciation for the book, but ultimately I have to say that this isn't one of my favorite McEwan novels.
FWIW the New Yorker stated, "This is a brilliant book." Sadly I'm going against my favorite mag on this one!
Seriously, though, I just read what appears to be universally recognized as one of his masterpieces, and although the prose was perfect as usual, I didn't love the plot or the way he illustrated his themes. The titular black dogs are supposed to be symbolic of an evil that always lurks nearby, particularly in the history of Europe, but I found their usage as symbols to be too obvious, and I found the episode involving the actual black dogs -- an episode foreshadowed and alluded to throughout the novel -- to be pretty anti-climactic.
After finishing the book I read some reviews -- professional and otherwise -- that gave me a deeper appreciation for the book, but ultimately I have to say that this isn't one of my favorite McEwan novels.
FWIW the New Yorker stated, "This is a brilliant book." Sadly I'm going against my favorite mag on this one!
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I know, I really am all over the place. But I knew I was setting myself up / putting myself out there... and at least I was honest about Black Dogs! ;)