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Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
I had great expectations for Ian McEwan’s most recent book, Sweet Tooth, since it was the first of his that I got the chance to read. With its moody introduction, Sweet Tooth got off to a terrific start, and I warmed up to Serena Frome, the protagonist, very fast. Her mysterious, contemplative story piqued my interest, and I liked the way she told it with dark humour and no pretence. I didn’t use the word “totalitarianism,” and I hadn’t even heard of it. I probably would have assumed that it had to do with turning down a drink.
The soporific attitude that quickly replaced the atmospheric tension of the introduction, however, was not the best for an audiobook I was listening to while stuck in rush hour traffic. The velvety voice of the narrator, Juliet Stevenson, certainly contributed to this atmosphere. That is not to suggest that she didn’t give a flawless presentation of the book. I believe McEwan ran the danger of losing part of his audience throughout the first third of the book since it simply felt like something the reader had to get through in the hopes of better things to come.
The pace speeds up once Serena meets Tom Haley, and I’m glad I persisted since this is when I started to be sucked in. Sweet Tooth fits the bill for me as a spy thriller with a literary premise. I really appreciated the character debates about the pros and cons of highbrow versus popular fiction, and I also liked how Serena read and thought about the avant-garde pieces that Tom Haley, the character, had written. On a larger scale, Sweet Tooth is a study of human behaviour and the various motivations that drive it.
For the sake of future readers, I won’t tell anything more about what happens; nevertheless, suffice it to say that the finale is smart and made me doubt my own judgement. In the end, Sweet Tooth impressed me and I would suggest it to anyone who are more interested in literature, but I’m not sure if McEwan could have come to the same conclusion without straining the friendship with the readers nearly as much along the way.
About The Book
Serena Frome, a Cambridge undergraduate, is the perfect candidate for MI5 because to her attractiveness and brilliance. It is the year 1972. The Cold War is still raging. The renowned intelligence service of England is committed to influence cultural discourse by supporting authors whose political views coincide with those of the ruling party. The mission is known as “Sweet Tooth.”
Serena is the ideal person to penetrate the literary community of Tom Haley, a budding young author, because she reads books compulsively. She initially enjoys his stories. After that, she starts to adore the man. How long can she keep her covert existence a secret? Serena needs to break the first espionage rule—never trust anyone—in order to respond to that query.
The Review
Sweet Tooth
9 Score
A kind of espionage-fairy tale! It's a play-within-a-play. It's As You Like It. All these funny layers and oblique references. How novel this charming novel is. A young woman is recruited into the British secret service by her older professor lover, who is the only one to die - a normal death. The book ought to come with a disclaimer: no characters were harmed in any way during the making of this novel. The bad guy reminds me of Malvolio, though his name is Max.
PROS
- Literary-Intelligence Intrigue.
- Compelling Characters.
- Provocative Spy-Mystery Story.
- Intriguing And Satisfying.
CONS
- Worse Than Awful!!!!
- Dull And Boring.
- Very Disappointing.
- Terrible!!!
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