enduring love
Joe Rose has planned a postcard-perfect afternoon in the English countryside to celebrate his lover's return after six weeks in the States. To complete the picture, there's even a "helium balloon drifting dreamily across the wooded valley." But as Joe and Clarissa watch the balloon touch down, their idyll comes to an abrupt end. The pilot catches his leg in the anchor rope, while the only passenger, a boy, is too scared to jump down. As the wind whips into action, Joe and four other men rush to secure the basket. Mother Nature, however, isn't feeling very maternal. "A mighty fist socked the balloon in two rapid blows, one-two, the second more vicious than the first," and at once the rescuers are airborne. Joe manages to drop to the ground, as do most of his companions, but one man is lifted sky-high, only to fall to his death. In itself, the accident would change the survivors' lives, filling them with an uneasy combination of shame, happiness, and endless self-reproach. (In one of the novel's many ironies, the balloon eventually lands safely, the boy unscathed.) But fate has far more unpleasant things in store for Joe. Meeting the eye of fellow rescuer Jed Parry, for example, turns out to be a very bad move. For Jed is instantl
If you would like to read a thoughtful, intelligent meditation on these and other important issues, then this is the book for you. It will definitely help you to understand your fellow human beings, especially those in distress, much better. Along the way, the book raises many questions about trust and forgiveness in a relationship and the conditionality of life's cruel path. In a moment of unnatural calm after the man's death, Joe turns to one of the other men, Jed Parry, and gives him a quick, nervous, reassuring nod. I close my eyes and see you as you were last night in the rain, across the road from me, with the unspoken love between us as strong as steel cable. ") Worst of all, Jed's version of love comes to seem a distortion of Joe's feelings for Clarissa. We share Joe's despair as the balloon rocks in the wind in the opening scene; we shiver as he finds himself being stalked by a delusional, obsessive intruder who thinks Joe is the love of his life. All that and a page-turner? It's a near-perfect read. The opening chapter is as powerfully imagined as any other I've read. McEwan's sure hand makes Enduring Love terse, lucid reading, and his insight into the subtler workings of the human mind makes it a thoughtful read. If only he and Clarissa had gone straight home from the airport. Told from the perspective of Joe Rose, a frustrated scientist turned journalist, the story captures our attention and never lets go. McEwan does a fine job in painting the lead character Joe Rose, as well as the secondary players.
Common topics in this essay:
Joe Rose,
Enduring Love,
Jed Parry,
Mother Nature,
Jed Parry's,
In-between McEwan,
Clarissa's London,
Black Dogs,
Clarissa Apart,
Joe Clarissa,
enduring love,
joe rose,
read enduring,
science religion,
jed parry,
human especially,
parry's obsession,
read enduring love,
helium balloon,
|
Acceptance Essays
