Book Review: Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

Book Review: Amsterdam
by Ian McEwan
First Anchor Books Edition, 1999
pp 193

On the occasion of Molly Lane’s funeral, we meet the four men who are still besotted with her. Lusciously sexy and beguiling, Molly was an excellent confidante and trusted companion both in and out of bed. Every man who encountered her became hopelessly smitten—for the long haul. World famous composer Clive Linley was the first to meet Molly way back when… Roving news editor Vernon Halliday had once lived with Molly for a year, also way back then… Julian Garmony, about to become Prime Minister, had a fling with Molly. And George Lane is the sad but rich publisher who was married to Molly. 

Molly’s untimely death is preceded by a stroke which left her in need of round the clock care. Who better to tend to her needs than the husband whom she had treated badly but had never left? There is no point in specifying the rigors of the plot that takes many twists and turns through maddening intricacies of their lives. The strongest thread is the horror experienced by Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday at the notion of Molly’s death. Their fear of being incapacitated is so traumatic that they form a death pact. If a devastating life-altering event should happen to either of them, they are foresworn to take each other’s lives. 

There are other threads, too. Ian McEwan deftly weaves multiple leitmotifs that are subtle and breathtaking. The reader becomes intimate with the depth and range of the creative process as  Clive Linley composes a symphony under the duress of an imminent deadline. Julian Garmony is a ruthless politician who will stop at nothing in his quest to become Prime Minister. As a journalist, Vernon Halliday gives live witness to the downward spiral of journalism, ethics and the last vestiges of Legacy Media. The long suffering husband George Lane reveals the many vagaries hidden within the subtext of British culture. 

There is a lot going on in Amsterdam that has little to do with either the Dutch city or the death of Molly Lane. Much is made of the anguish, grief and loss inherent in the process of growing older and, maybe, less relevant. Aside from being a brilliant writer, Ian McEwan is downright clever. Amsterdam is well worth the read and deserving of the 1998 Booker Prize.