It’s not everywhere that you can experience 24 hours in the life of someone. Ok, well, you can watch 24, but let’s face it, Jack Bauer never goes to the bathroom and traffic in LA always seems a little too easy-to-navigate. In book form though, there’s “Saturday”, which introduces the reader to Henry Perowne, a neurosurgeon in London, waking up on a Saturday morning with a full day planned ahead of him. Taking place following the attacks of September 11th, but before the invasion of Iraq, Henry lives with an awareness of world events and a paranoia that strikes all too familiar.
This book was all over “best of” lists in 2005, and deservedly so. It’s a compelling story that slowly draws you in deeper to the life of this man and his family, on a single Saturday that could just as easily be like any other day.
Tags: Ian McEwan Saturday novel