Play Book Tag discussion

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan - 4.5* - My Review

Set in the year 2119, when parts of the UK are submerged by rising seas, the world has gone through the “Derangement” of climate change. It is called “Derangement” since we knew what was happening but did not take corrective action in time. The world is now experiencing a cooling off period due to nuclear winter. Within this environment, scholarly life goes on.

The protagonist of the first half of the book is academic Thomas Metcalfe, of (fictional) University of the South Downs who specializes in literature of the 1990s to 2030s. He has become fixated on finding a lost poem, Corona for Vivien by acclaimed poet Francis Blundy, which had been read aloud at a party in 2014 to celebrate his wife's birthday. The second half takes place back when the poem was written and reveals crucial information that reframes everything we read in the first half.

I became totally immersed in the first half of this book and particularly enjoyed speculative elements. I think it is intended to convey how easy it is to romanticize the past and how difficult it is to know what really happened. I don’t want to say too much to avoid giving it away. I am a fan of Ian McEwan’s writing, and I think this book ranks right up there with his best works.

4.5