Ian McEwan

Published in 2022, Lessons is Ian McEwan’s seventeenth novel. The story is an account of the life of British-born Roland Baines, as seen mostly through his own eyes, from childhood into his seventies. Two events in the book’s early chapters play a major role in shaping his future. The first takes place in 1962 when at age fourteen he is seduced by his piano teacher. The next occurs in 1986 when his German wife abandons him and their baby to pursue her ambition to become a writer in her home country. What follows is an account of his adult self, adrift in an unchosen life, trying to raise his son as best he can.

Baines is presented as passively coping with his lot, but as someone who is humane and capable of great kindnesses. Over the years he dates a number of different women, but the ghosts from his past keep him from committing to anyone. Even so, most of them remain close friends, and one in particular will return into his life, presenting him with a loving relationship. In the background, as Baines’ life’s events unfold, the author keeps a running commentary on the news of the day. These include the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Russian Communism, the terrorist attacks in New York and London in the first decade of the twenty-first century, and the COVID epidemic.

Roland’s ex-wife goes on to become a world renowned German author, and her success is compared with his lack of it. His dreams of becoming a gifted pianist and later a poet, are never followed up on. Yet, by the end of the story, the whole of his life, in contrast to that of his ex-wife, finds him to be the one who has led a fuller life. Even though his later days are shadowed with grief, he is surrounded by adoring grandchildren and gifted with lasting friendships. Epic in scope, Lessons is a tale of one man’s simple life and a detailed chronicle of our times. It’s an engaging story from first page to last.… (more)