Guide Note

Atonement is a 2001 British novel written by Ian McEwan.

Fast Facts

1. Author: Ian McEwan
2. Genre: Fiction
3. Publication Date: 2001
4. Publisher: Jonathan Cape
5. Pages: 371
6. Awards: 2001 Whitbread Book Award, 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2002 National Book Critics Circle Award
7. ISBN 0224062522
8. Adaptations: 2007 Film

Starting in 1935, 13-year-old Briony Tallis (knowingly) wrongfully accuses her older sister's lover, Robbie Turner, of rape. He spends three years in prison, but volunteers to serve in World War II to shorten his sentence.

Robbie briefly reunites with Briony's sister, Cecilia, before heading to Dunkirk. Cecilia, a nurse during the war, eventually realizes that Robbie was innocent of his crime.

Briony, self-exiled from her family due to the incident, also becomes a nurse as a means of atonement for actions. In the end, it is revealed the entire story was imagined by Briony, who reveals in the last part of the book that Cecilia and Robbie were both killed in the war, and had never reunited.

Briony laments over her actions, knowing that there is no real atonement for denying them their happiness.

Lauded as the best novel of 2001 by Time Magazine, Atonement received unanimous praise by critics upon its release. It also won numerous awards, including the 2001 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the 2002 WH Smith Literary Award, and most notably the 2002 National Book Critics Circle Award.

In 2007, the book was adapted into a film, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. It won the "Best Motion Picture Drama" at the Golden Globes the next year.