Historical fiction book · Curated
Atonement
Ian McEwan · historical fiction
In the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis misreads a moment between her sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper’s son, and a false accusation follows them into World War II—Dunkirk, a London hospital, and a guilt Briony will spend a lifetime trying to rewrite. Ian McEwan’s novel is literary historical fiction of class, war, and the stories we tell to atone.
Why read it: A widely searched modern classic of WWII historical fiction—the 2001 Booker shortlist novel (and 2007 film) readers look up by title, and a British literary counterpart to occupied-France and Bletchley Park stories already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
Atonement by Ian McEwan is historical fiction set around 1935–1940 in the World War II era / Interwar period with key settings including England, Dunkirk, London, Tallis house. In the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis misreads a moment between her sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper’s son, and a false accusation follows them into World War II—Dunkirk, a London hospital, and a guilt Briony will spend a lifetime trying to rewrite. Ian McEwan’s novel is literary historical fiction of class, war, and the stories we tell to atone.
On HisFic we tag it under 1. Literary historical fiction and 5. Military & war so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include guilt, class, war, love, and storytelling. A widely searched modern classic of WWII historical fiction—the 2001 Booker shortlist novel (and 2007 film) readers look up by title, and a British literary counterpart to occupied-France and Bletchley Park stories already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
In the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis misreads a moment between her sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper’s son, and a false accusation follows them into World War II—Dunkirk, a London hospital, and a guilt Briony will spend a lifetime trying to rewrite. Ian McEwan’s novel is literary historical fiction of class, war, and the stories we tell to atone. A widely searched modern classic of WWII historical fiction—the 2001 Booker shortlist novel (and 2007 film) readers look up by title, and a British literary counterpart to occupied-France and Bletchley Park stories already on the shelf.
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Eras
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
England · Dunkirk · London · Tallis house
Themes
- guilt
- class
- war
- love
- storytelling
Tags
literary · bestseller · award-winner