The Innocent: A Novel

I have read a number of McEwan's books. There is no question that this is another extraordinary novel; the intense poignancy of the character interactions, lingers with you for a long time after you finish the last page; and for anyone who has had an intimate relationship with another human being, the magnitude of the emotions that McEwan so deftly orchestrates, is often difficult to handle.

I read about the factual history of Operation Gold; I also know that the Russians knew about the tunnel before it was activated. What I wonder is whether Glass was the officer in charge of Maria - who was an operative woking for Glass? That Leonard was an unwitting pawn in some clandestine operation? That Glass and Maria were in their own relationship the whole time? If you read "The Company" by R. Littell, you realize that there were an incredible number of complex covert relationships after WWII. Was Otto an inconvenience who needed to be removed for whatever reason - and Leonard was the necessary instrument for this to happen? None of these questions take away from the literary integrity of the novel, but may shed a different light on the relationship between Leonard and Maria - and the actual perception of "innocence". Maria may not have been the person Leonard perceived her to be - boy was she creative and knowledgeable in the dismemberment sequences?! And although she may have developed some feelings for Leonard (which may have been responsible for the guilt necessitating the need to write the letter in the end) - the sequence at the airport with Glass, certainly suggests their close relationship.

Igor Dumbadze

...but still pretty good. That sounds like faint praise, but rating this novel is not easy.

The Innocent is based on an actual and almost unbelievable espionage operation in Berlin during the Cold War. I recommend researching the incident before reading the book. This will not spoil the main developments of the plot which are personal and fictional and involve fictional characters. The historical operation was Operation Gold. Check it out. Being aware of the historical background will give the reader a better handle on the story. I read this without knowing that it was based on historical fact and felt that it was too far fetched to be believable. Finding out that it was historical was jaw-dropping.

The Innocent is an odd combination of satire, humor, gooey sentimentality, deep psychological insight, and utter gruesomeness. Be prepared to be nauseated along with Leonard and Maria--the main characters. I must warn that the most fulsome passages of the book seemed to me to be gratuitous punishment for the reader.

This novel is not for children or for those who are faint of stomach, nor for pleasant summer afternoon reading at the beach.

Having said all this I admit that I appreciated this novel and found it absorbing.

BTW: I consider McEwan's best to be Atonement and Enduring Love.

I consider McEwan the finest living author and "Atonement" one of my most favorite novels. "Saturday," "Amsterdam" and "Enduring Love" are great, too. I add "The Innocent" to that list. The only fault was the grisly, endless disposal of Otto. It detracted from an otherwise fine novel.

As in other McEwan novels, something horrible happens to ordinary people one day and they realize that they are not as good as they think they are and that they have bad in them. This novel follows the same line but the writing does not match his other books.

Boy meets girl in the liberated city after the war. He wants to liberate her. But can she/the city really leave her tainted past behind? In trying to free her, he becomes an accomplice.

I didn't like the ending. I am not happy how everything is neatly tied up with a letter sent after 30 years.

There is a movie version The Innocent of this book, where, funny enough, Campbell Scott, an American, plays an Englishman, and Anthony Hopkins, a British, plays an American. Isabella Rosselini, an Italian, plays the German girl Maria. And, I strongly suspect that the dog may actually be a cat.

This book was sitting on my bookshelf for 2 years...sorry I didn't read it before. Difficult to put down once I picked up.