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Amsterdamis a dark book on ambition, assumed loyalties, fear of death and the destruction of

relationships and people on account of intermingling of all of these drivers in the characters that populate

this book. The main characters are Clive a brilliant music composer and Vernon the managing editor of a

newspaper which is witnessing a serious decline in its fortunes. Both have been ex-lovers of Molly who is

dead and wife to George a rich businessman with minor interests inThe Judge,the paper that

Vernon is managing. Vernon has a friendship with Clive that is parasitic in nature. Both have divergent

personalities and a common belief in euthanasia and desire for a painless death. When alive, Molly, was

given to living life on her own terms and has had multiple relationships some serious and some

temporary. Chief among her other relationships are with Julian who is the current foreign secretary of UK

and with a burning desire of being the PM. Julian is percieved to be a right winger with extreme views on

human rights, National Health Service and UKs role and involvement within EU. The story begins with the

death of Molly and the selling of some revelatory photographs of Julian by Geroge to Vernon. Vernon wants

to use this as a lever to turn around the position of his newspaper and also drive away the potentialcontenders for his job: Cassisus is hungry, Vernon thought. Hell head his department, then hell want my

job. The paper itself is steeped in tradition of reporting news from the fringes and many employees are

against using the tactics of Vernon. The character of the paper and George are depicted brilliantly by

McEwan when he writes: These things take time to turn around. Vernon tasted his port and protected

himself with the recollection that Geroge owned a mere one and half percent of The Judge and knew

nothing about the business. It was also useful to remember that his fortune, his publishing empirewas

rooted in the energetic exploitation of the weak-headed: hidden numerical codes in the Bible foretold the

future, the Incas hailed from the outer space, the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the Second Coming,

the Third Eye, the Seventh Seal, Hitler was alive and well in Peru. It was not easy to be lectured by George

on the ways of the world

On the other hand Clive has a champion in Julian who supports the nomination of Clive to compose the

millenial symphony and Clive feels that Vernon is betraying the trust and memory of Molly by deciding to

expose Julian. The two friends differ on the morality of the approach. Clive is also under duress to get his

symphony composed in time to get the recognition he longs for. He packs off to the Lake district to get on

with his work. During his brief stay there Clive comes across a confrontation between a man and a woman

and does not get involved despite the merit of the situation as he is after that inspirational moment that will

enable the completion of work. It turns out that the man Clive encountered was a serial molester whom the

police is looking for. Clive narrates this to Vernon who promptly informs the Scotland Yard about Clives role

in the whole incident. Vernon feels that this is a form of revenge for Clives non acceptance of Vernons

means of rising to fame. Clive is interviewed by police but is left free to travel to Amsterdam to present his

symphony and make the final corrections. Things go completely awry for Vernon and he not only fails in

indicting Julian but also fails in reading the public mood on the issue of Julian and fails to whip the


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needed frenzy. The rise in circulation numbers of his paper are temporary. In the process Vernon is utterly

ruined and loses his job. While Clive appears calm outwards there is a seething rage against Vernon and

also a feeling of being betrayed by Vernon especially with respect to the photographs and his approach to

making use of them. Both Clive and Vernon make an appointment at Amsterdam under the pretension of a

rapproachement and poison each other to death. Julian comes out unscathed supported by his family and

friends. That in sum is the plot of the novel

So did I like the book? I did enjoy parts of the book but not in its totality. However, that is not to say that

there are no aspects of the book that I am not impressed with. Ian McEwans control of language and accute

observation powers stand out superbly. His psychological sketches of some aspects of peoples behaviour

are breathtaking. For example consider the following where Clive thinks of the behaviour of high and mighty

towards appointments: It would have been possible to back out of his engagements by assuming license of

the free artistic spirit, but he loathed such arrogance. He had a number of friends who played the genious

card when it suited, failing to show up to this or that in the belief that whatever local upset it caused, it

could only increase respect for the compelling nature of their high calling. These types novelists were by

far the worst managed to convince friends and families that not only their working hours, but every nap

and stroll, every, fit of silence, depression or drunkenness bore the exculpatory ticket of high intent. A mask

of mediocrity was Clives view. He didnt doubt the calling was high, but bad behaviour was not part of it.

Perhaps every century there was an exception or two to be made;Beethoven, yes; Dylan Thomas, most

certainly not

Secondly, the situation building too is that of an accomplished writer. One only has to see his portrayal of

the editorial meetings in a newspaper office very realistic and very near to the innards of what a modern

day paper would look like. The slow and gradual falling out of the friendship is also depicted brilliantly when

Clive says this to himself: Put most crudely, what did he, Clive, really derive from this friendship? He had

given, but what had he ever received? What bound them? They had Molly in common. There were

accumulated years and the habits of friendship, but there was really nothing at its center, nothing for Clive.

A generous explanation for the imbalance might have evoked Vernons passivity and self absorption. Now,

after last night, Clive was inclined to see these as merely elements of larger fact Vernonslack of

principle. And with this the drift starts gaining momentum and reaches an uncompromising situation

towards the end of the book

Time and again through the book one gets to see McEwans ability to delineate his characters with amazing

clarity and locate them in a context with ease: In his corner of West London, and in his self-preoccupied

daily round, it was easy for Clive to think of civilisation as the sum of all the arts, along with design, cuisine,

good wine and the like. But now it appeared that this was what it really was square miles of meagre

modern houses whose principle purpose was the support of TV aeriels and dishes; factories producing


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worthless junk to be advertised on the televisions and, in dismal lots, lorries queuing up to distribute it; and

everywhere else, roads and the tyranny of the traffic. It looked like a raucous dinner party the morning

after. No one would have wished it this way, but no one has been asked. Nobody planned it, nobody wanted

it, but most people had to live in it. To watch it mile after mile, who would have guessed that kindness or

the imagination, that Purcell or Britten, Shakespeare or Milton, had ever existedor

Both men accepted that the nature of the request, its intimacy and self conscious reflection on their

friendship, had created, for the moment, an uncomfortable emotional proximity which was best dealt with

by their parting without another word. I cant say why but this sentence reminded me ofChekovsbrilliant

short story called Enemies

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