The Child in Time- Ian McEwan

[Amanda]

I’ve read a bunch of McEwan by this point, and this was the last of 8 books of his on the list for me to read. Honestly, I would put this one somewhere in the middle: it was good but didn’t blow me away. I gave it 3 stars.

The plot follows a children’s lit author who in an episode of tragic irony losing his own daughter in what is presumed to be a kidnapping. The trauma this causes with him and his wife is explored, and in his quest to amend things some seemingly impossible events occur. Is he delusional due to grief? Is it magic realism? Is it really an extended metaphor for the inevitable loss of childhood? Probably all of the above.

There were some captivating scenes/quotes from the book intermittently: like a scene where he enters a school convinced a random kid is his daughter, or the line about how “great children’s works are tricky because they have to appeal to both kids and adults. They need to bring the adult back to the great things about childhood and allow children to step into the maturity they don’t yet fully have”. Other than these pieces though, it was mostly just good.

[Diane]

Rating: 3.5 stars


This book started out strong and suspenseful. The main character's 3 year-old daughter is kidnapped at the grocery store. In the aftermath, we see how this affects the man, his wife, and their relationship. The author manages to "bend" time in this novel, which I found creative.

While there are a few more suspenseful moments, the story seems to slow down. While I realize the slowing of time was part of the novel, I found myself less engaged. I found the ending a bit odd, although somewhat hopeful.

Overall, a good book, but not my favorite McEwan novel.

[Kristel]

Reason Read: I read this because it worked for a TIOLI challenge on LT, it is also a 1001 book. It starts out with an abduction of a child and then it deals with the reactions to that abduction. This does not make this a unique story but the scope, themes, and exploration of time. Themes in this book not only include loss (Stephen Lewis lost his daughter, his marriage, his friends, his ability to write), but also parenthood, childhood, being the adult child of your parents and the parent to your child.
An interesting comment on this book by Nicholas Spice (London Review, 1987) discussed the political atmosphere of the novel as being Thatcherism. The prime minister in the book is 65 y/o with a voice pitched between tenor and alto, old fashioned ideas on child rearing and scorn for the railroad. There is reference to beggars being licensed (enterprise and profit public welfare), public service barely functions, schools being sold off, housing in short supply and police with guns. In the end the author turns away from the problems of society to absorption in private fulfillment. The book ends with hope but can a person ever recover from "losing" a child by a moment of distraction? This won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1987. I enjoyed it.


Of note; the author was expecting his first child when he wrote this book.