Ian McEwan's tale about a guilt stricken woman troubled by an unfortunate lie she orchestrated as a young teenager really displays his proficient, magnificent prose. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's mastery of describing his characters. Most writers are content to describe the physical characteristics and superficial emotions of their characters. Ian McEwan, on the other hand, shows how his characters think, such as the worrisome sentiments of a migraine-sickened mother to the coping fantasies of a child struggling with growing up. Within these life-like descriptions he wrote a compelling story that, while takes a while to set in motion, gripped me until the end.