This is my wife anytime she meets any dog:

Fair. I also agree that Atonement is much better.

Agree, but I think McEwan pulls off intimate stories in the backdrop of major events better than most (i.e. Atonement and WWII)

I can relate to finding silly things to obsess about when there are bigger things happening (& i think the dismissiveness of the young students shows it’s not universal).

Bummer! I really enjoyed it. The first couple of chapters were slow because I didn’t really see what he was going for, but the payoff of Vivian’s chapters made it much better. I think the audiobook helped me keep going and not sure a hard copy would have been as enticing.

I second this recommendation. THE TAINTED CUP was one of my favorites of the past few years.

This is a non-specific recommendation, but do you listen to the Selected Shorts podcast? That’s where I’ve discovered some of my faves.

Has he read the Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne? I’d say that checks those boxes.

One of the loudest reactions I can remember from a theater audience was during a screening of A SERIOUS MAN when one character suggests the protagonist “call Ron Meshbesher”

Sad, but might be a good reason to revisit the devastatingly good Taste of Cherry

1. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”