BOOK REVIEW: Nutshell by Ian McEwan

 

While in her last trimester of pregnancy, a woman who has taken her husband’s brother as her lover plots with him to murder the father of her child. They believe they will never be caught because there are no witnesses to their crime. But they are wrong. There is one witness. The child that is still slumbering in the womb has heard all.

This is a novel about deceit and murder, told from the unique perspective of the unborn child of one of the perpetrators. To do this, it takes the artistic license of gifting the child with the consciousness and intelligence of an adult, albeit a naïve one. While this may be somewhat unconventional, the thing that proves really disturbing is the effect that the mother’s constant drinking has on the child, making it feel the effects of alcohol impairment before it is even in a position to have a choice on the subject. Well written, this is a book that is interesting enough to keep you turning the pages.