A book about a Saturday in the life of a neurosurgeon, practising in London. He uses quite a lot of jargon in describing the neurosurgeon's medical life, but doesn't dwell on it, which is good for the nonmedical reader. He also gives quite an insight into the emotions involved, having shadowed a neurosurgeon for a couple of years.
Of course, this can't be any old Saturday that makes it into a book. This is a special Saturday - he sees something 9-11 like as he stands at his bedroom window in the small hours of the morning, which sort of sets the tone for the oddness of the day; there's an anti-war protest in the central London, near where he stays; he gets into an accident with a thug with a neurological problem, which he diagnoses and uses to his advantage, but will haunt him again later in the day; there's a mini family reunion that night that he has hopes and anxieties about. Within all that, the neurosurgeon indulges (or rather McEwan indulges on his character) in musings about war, and terrorism, and his work, and his middle-aged life, and really, life in general. These musings can be quite draggy at times, but on the whole they're quite thought-provoking, and quite cerebral (but appropriately so!).
The writing is of high-standard, and McEwan draws us intimately into the neurosurgeon's life - we feel what he feels, and think what he thinks, etc. The supporting characters are believable as well, and provide good colour for the neurosurgeon's life. I also like the fact that it's set in modern-day London, and I could take out my London A to Z and point out where his house is, which hospital he probably is working at, the routes he takes, etc. - exciting. :)
A good read for me, a maybe biased POV because of the medicine-related character.
Rating: ****out of 5
