With our hectic lives and all of the new books that we are trying to keep on top of, we can often forget about the classics, those books that we loved to re-visit or the books that we just haven’t got to quite yet. Every week, we pick a classic book of the week that is a favourite of ours in the office. This week we take a look at the amazing, Atonement.
“I’ve never had a moment’s doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life. Cee”
Published in 2001. Atonement is already seen as one of the great novels of our times. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize among others, Time Magazine has named it as one of the 100 All-Time Greatest Novels. By 2007, Atonement had already been made into a feature film that launched the career of Saoirse Ronan and essentially put James McAvoy on the map.
The book centrally revolves around the character of Briony, a 13-year-old girl who fancies herself as a novelist. However, she commits a terrible crime. Misconstruing a romantic situation as an act of aggression, Briony names Robbie, the love of her sister’s life in a sexual assault case, despite the fact that he committed no crime.
Robbie and Briony’s sister, Cecilia had grown up together and were attending the same college but around the time of the incident, realised their love for each other. Despite the fact that Robbie is sent to prison, Cecilia never gives up on him and continues to stand by her man, eventually abandoning her entire family to stay with him.
The events occur around the time of World War II and with the world in turmoil, Briony and Cecilia both end up helping in the war effort while Robbie is released from prison in order that he might enlist in the army. Briony, feeling terribly guilty for her past sins, attempts to atone for what she has done.
A truly heartbreaking story, Atonement really gets under the skin of its lead characters perfectly displaying the extent anyone would go to for the people they love, Briony to get her sister back, Robbie to get home to his beloved and Cecilia for trusting Robbie and never giving up on him, against all odds.
The scenes of warfare, though graphic, are also quite heartbreaking and although very much a war story, Atonement is told from very personal experiences of the war and the events that occurred in England at the time.
However, nothing can prepare you for that final chapter and the realisation of what happened. We guarantee you, there will be tears.
