On Chesil Beach

Written and read by Ian McEwan

Published by: Random House Audio

Price: £12.99

I was a little nervous at the start of this novel. It started like a fable, of which the somberness of Ian McEwan’s voice set my finger hovering over the fast forward button. He reads about the first night of a newly married couple with hardly any animation, just a soft and steady tone, almost lulling the listener into the tale.

The seriousness of the tone reminded me a little of Saturday. It has a cultured and sophisticated style that, with the odd Mozart sound bite, really brings the young couple’s education and middleclass background to the forefront. The narrative is emotive and descriptive, picking out the beauty of the beach and contrasting it against the isolation of the newlyweds.

The tone also highlights the fact that it’s 1962. An “.. era when to be young was a social encumbrance ...", no matter what your education. Both Florence and Edward are virgins on their wedding night.

They’re staying at a hotel on Chesil Beach, Dorset. Sitting down to dinner in the honeymoon suite, Edward is excited and a little afraid by the prospect of sex with Florence for the first time. Florence, on the other hand, is disgusted by the thought of sex.

Chesil Beach is a calmly executed story of what lies beneath the emotional restraint of the early 1960’s. (Before Free Love!) McEwan delves deep into the relationship between Edward and Florence, picking up on the nuances of nervous tension and neurotic panic.

Florence is an accomplished violinist and part of a quartet at her university. Although she is caring and loving, she is as frigid and as highly strung as her violin.

McEwan cleverly laces their tedious dinner with suspense. He sets the scene with mediocre weather and described the ‘poor’ food, and the people listening to the news downstairs. Their table is right next to the bedroom – the four poster bed in full view. What’s fascinating about Florence is that although she dreads having sex, she is the one that instigates the ‘moment’ that leads them leaving the dinner table and getting on to the bed. They are both so nervous, they can’t communicate, and of course this leads to misconstrued understanding.

Mainly through Edward, we see the blossoming of their relationship and the slow and tentative lead up to the fiasco of their wedding night. (I actually wanted to jump in and bang their heads together!)

Between listenings, I found myself thinking of the many moments lost through things that are left unsaid. This is ultimately what happens to this pair: they both lose.

There’s a bonus on this audiobook. John Mullan, a professor at the UCL (Edward has a degree in history from UCL) interviews McEwan about the book and it’s various themes and topics.

Definitely one to recommend to friends!

Comments

[Steve Seddon]

Whilst listening to this, there were times when the blokeish feelings of "just get on with it" rose to the surface, as I got frustrated with Florence & Edward. But of course, not only was it a different time, but also Florence was unusually apprehensive about the wedding night.

I wonder to what extent the book divided the sexes? Both my wife & myself listened to it & we had different sympathies. That's not to say that I didn't understand Florence's difficulties, but I felt that she didn't see Edwards. It's hard to expand to much on the point without spoiling the plot.

Altogether, I felt that McEwan was at his best in this novel. It ranks with Amsterdam & Atonement.