Ian McEwan writes beautiful sentences, the kind that make you want to reread them because they’re so well crafted. That’s why I’ve read all his books. Some have more interesting plots than others, but all are lovely.

NUTSHELL is one of those with an interesting plot in addition to lovely language. (Yes, it’s English but lovely English.) Still, I can’t believe McEwan was brave enough to attempt this.

A couple, Trudy and Claude, live in disgusting squalor in a home worth millions of dollars. The home belongs to Trudy’s husband John, who is also Claude’s brother. Trudy is nine months pregnant with John’s baby. As Trudy and Claude devise a plan to murder John, the baby is listening.

If you are familiar with McEwan, I’m sure you can imagine that the baby does more than listen. The baby wants to thwart the plan, of course. But he really cannot do much more than ruminate. And McEwan is so good at ruminating! But he bravely has the baby think about what he cannot see and cannot know. Sometimes it tests your willing suspension of disbelief.

Typical of McEwan, NUTSHELL is short. The story takes place in a couple of days.