Saturday is an account of one day in successful neurosurgeon Henry Perowne’s life. With a stately home in Fitzrovia, two talented grown-up children and a thoughtful, noted lawyer as a wife, he should have been content, and so he was, until that Saturday morning. Before dawn, he wakes startled, drawn to the window, teeming with increasing unease. Surveying the night sky from his perch, Perowne is concerned about the state of the world, and inexplicably, his family’s well being. Much happens in such a seemingly mundane day for Perowne; the reader is plunged into his thoughts.

Saturday – as with many of McEwan’s novels – is highly descriptive yet readable, conveying behavior and thoughts accurately and intelligibly. Somehow, at one point of the book, McEwan managed to make a thorough description of brain surgery readable, interesting and easy-to-follow. This is just one example of how he gives life to his compelling plots.

You will enjoy Saturday if you appreciate novels describing social interactions, especially if you are familiar with McEwan’s style of writing. Although this book describes just one day in one man’s life, it certainly isn’t slow-paced. A certain ominous tension builds throughout the day, culminating unexpectedly and dramatically. I would recommend this book for teens and older.

My Ratings (out of 10 As):

Plot/Story: AAAAA

Writing: AAAAAAAA

Pace: Medium/Fast