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SETTING: Saturday, February 15, 2003 in London, England, on the day of the largest anti-Iraq war demonstration in British history.
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SUMMARY: Follows neurosurgeon Henry Perowne through what would otherwise have been a regular Saturday (day-off from work with a schedule of playing squash, visiting his mother, and cooking dinner for his family), that is turned completely on its side following a minor motor vehicle collision.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "When the family went for a walk across the fields one afternoon, they left her with forty-one pages to go [of a novel]. When they returned they found her under a tree by the dovecote weeping, not for the story but because she had reached the end and emerged from a dream to grasp that it was all the creation of a woman she would never meet. She cried, she said, out of admiration, out of joy that such things could be made up." - Chapter 3, page 134.
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I have yet to pluck the courage to read Atonement by McEwan because I know it's a sad story. Similarly, I haven't watched the movie, and probably won't for a while. Overall, sad stories can have a heavy effect on me, so I tend to avoid them if I know ahead of time that it will be of a melancholy nature (another reason I avoid book summaries). I'm sure I've missed out on a few great reads, but I'll get to them eventually... This book was picked from a random list of "inspiring novels." It primarily stood out because I liked the title. Saturday. It's simple, and yet intriguing. The story could be about anything! Quite the adventure.
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Things I liked about this book:
- Takes place in a single day. The reader is provided with a detailed account of the main character's actions and thoughts, down to the minutiae and mundane.
- As Perowne, the main character is going through this day, so too is the reader. The reader isn't aware of anything before Perowne, and vice-versa.
- Details neurosurgerical procedures! The author shadowed a neurosurgeon for 2 years to research for this novel, and took great pains to learn about neurobiology and neurosurgery. Dedication right there.
- Perowne, the victim of the accident, uses his neurosurgical background to connect with the perpetrator (the character who ran into Perowne's vehicle). The perpetrator is an aggressive and dangerous individual who has the intention of physically harming Perowne. Perowne is able to slip away, without having to face an actual altercation, using his neuro knowledge, and the dynamics of this interaction are interesting.
- Perowne "counts on sleep rather than the clock to divide the days" (page 282), which is exactly how I divide my days! This story actually takes place over slightly longer than 24 hours.
Things I didn't like about this book:
- The entire story is split into 5 chapters, and a few of the chapter breaks don't flow very well. For example, a chapter would end very abruptly, as if the author felt that the chapter had been going on for too long and just needed to stop, regardless of its place in the story line.
- The author places greater emphasis on certain events throughout the day, and skims over other, equally important parts. This didn't seem appropriate because the author immediately introduces the reader to the fact that he will be detailing every thought and emotion Perowne experiences throughout this day. The author should have maintained his position as an objective informer throughout the entirety of the novel, and left it up to the reader to assess which events in the day held more value over others.
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This was an interesting and quick read. I haven't read many 24-hour narratives, but I definitely enjoyed this one. I wasn't particularly inspired by it, but I can understand how it ended up on the "inspiring novels" list. The main character perseveres through unexpected, adverse events, and is able to keep his values while doing so. He ends his day with emotional and physical scars, but as is the case with any life experience, he also learns many lessons and has a slightly altered outlook on life, hopefully for the better.
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Recommend? Yes.
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