Amsterdam

Amsterdam must be the most fiendishly written book that has won public acclaim in recent times, with the exception of The Life of Pi. It is magnificent prose that is sparingly used, with telling black humour. Perhaps it didn’t hurt the novel that one of the two main characters Vernon Halliday, is a newspaper editor!

Ian McEwan is blessed with a killer sense of dark humour, which lurks around unexpected corners like a twisted psychopath! Amsterdam is a short book, only 193 pages long (if you buy the Anchor Books edition that I bought) and is delightful to read. In fact the pages and cover of the copy I have are soft all through, like they were made of butter or something. And before I get lost in praising the physicality of the book, I must return to the story – Amsterdam describes the story of two friends, both ex lovers of a woman, at whose death they meet. They arrive at a pact that whichever of them reaches a pathetic state (much like the end their former beloved woman, met), the other shall help him reach a quick end. As the back cover describes, it is left to the reader to race thru the remaining pages of the novel to see who kills whom!

Absolutely wicked stuff! And such fun to read. There’s no vulgarity or titillation. The novel is much like alcohol coursing through one’s veins gradually weaning away consciousness, even as the reader helplessly loses control to it. The description of characters, especially in the newspaper’s office brings to mind the satirical writing of Saki. Then there is the talented composer, Clive, the other main character, who is composing the closing notes of his grand and successful career as a composer. And then there is the now familiar characterization of the British politician, who is making his way through the ranks (for anyone who’s read Alan Holinghurst’s Line of Beauty with the character Gerald Fedden). And some assorted men and women, including Molly Lane, the object of affection of both the main characters, whose demise sets the tone for the novel.

Read it and tell me how much you like it.