Ian McEwan is one of my favorite authors, and will continue to be after reading what I thought was a solid new book.
The book started out as a spy novel, but became much more than that. It was about authors, relationships, deception, the art of writing, how writing affects individuals and society, how writing is affected by an author's experiences and inner thoughts, and more. The writing was masterful as always, and the book picked up steam with each page I read. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, which didn't disappoint, as McEwan's endings very rarely do.
In addition...
I love that this book was dedicated to Christopher Hitchens.
I love that in the story, the New Statesman gave the main character's novel a negative review. The New Statesman is where Hitchens became friends with McEwan and Martin Amis, who actually appears in the story (Amis) doing a public reading alongside Tom, the main character. The New Statesman (in real life) gave Sweet Tooth a lukewarm, if not negative, review, which I find funny in the context of the book, and the stories within its story (you'll see. I don't want to give anything away).
And I love that McEwan was able to include the Monty Hall problem in this story. I always appreciate him referencing modern scientific thought (or in this cae mathematics) into his work.
All in all, a very pleasurable and satisfying read.