Finished this book about 10 minutes ago and it took me about 2 days from cover to cover. I don't usually write reviews or my thoughts on a book but I suppose this one really got me thinking. Just a brief synopsis of the book:
The book tells the story of a High Court Judge, Fiona, who is struggling both in her professional and her private life. Her husband has the intentions to commit an affair and she faces some difficult cases in court (she is a High Court Judge presiding mainly over family cases). At this point, a case comes requiring immediate attention and she then has to decide about whether to grant leave for the medical staff to administer blood transfusion against the wishes of a staunch Jehovah Witness, 17 year old boy, 3 months away from his 18th birthday. Those not familiar with the law: at 18, a person can refuse medical treatment if he so wishes.
For Fiona, the decision is easy and she decides against the wishes of the boy and acts in what she thinks is in the best interest of the child- to keep him alive. The boy survives, but struggles to find meaning in his life, after rejecting his religion that almost nearly killed him. He turns to Fiona to fill this emptiness in him, but Fiona, being the professional and intensely private person that she is, turns him away. At the end of the book, we learn that his leukemia relapses after his 18th birthday, he refuses blood transfusion and dies.
This was an interesting read and Ian McEwan's writing was very melodic yet very concise. The story adds colour to the black and white law as we know it and it reminds me that the law should never be seen as the solution to everything. In the same way, Fiona realises that by keeping him alive, against his religious beliefs, she took him away from everything that defined him and she dictated what his life was to be- a violinist, a poet, a scholar. Lost and confused, he turned to her yet again to find meaning, which was something she could not give. After he dies, she realises that she took something away from him which she could not replace and despite previously believing that keeping him alive was in his best interest, his death makes her question own judgment and she is left to contemplate on her hand in his death.
If I had to criticise this book, I would say that it is perhaps too short for such a morally heavy topic which meant that parts of the book felt like it was just sort of a 'touch and go'. I think the relationship between the characters could have been better explored and perhaps each person should have been given more character. I struggled to picture the type of person Fiona was and I did not feel as though I knew the characters personally.All in all, the book is a good read for those looking for a concise story with a deep meaning behind it.
No comments:
Post a Comment