On Chesil Beach

Like the movie, but without the bad makeup!

This is the simple story of two lovers in the early 1960s and how things don't work out for them. If you're a fan of Ian McEwan, you'll love this book, even if just for stylistic variety. It's very different from his other books, but still has his cerebral charm, irony, and his brilliant juxtaposition of the abstract and downright disgusting.

The only downside to this book is how short it is. It's not really a novel, and in style and subject matter, it reads like a short story. The story at the center of it takes place over the course of about an hour, and the rest is background. I finished it in 2 days, which was nice, but it just felt like it wasn't quite enough.