What makes Ian McEwan a great writer is not so much his way with words, it's his way of using those words to narrate even the simplest story and turning it into a vivid screenplay for a movie that plays through the reader's mind. In Saturday, a seemingly perfect family is forever changed in a single afternoon of terror. In Amsterdam, a funeral for a common former lover reunites two friends who end up destroying each other. In Atonement, (which was adapted into an actual movie) two lovers are torn apart by a child's spiteful lie. In On Chesil Beach, McEwan's latest novel, a young couple's first night together as husband and wife becomes an unexpected turning point in their relationship. The chapters alternate between the present (the night of the honeymoon) and the past (reflecting on the pair's individual and shared histories), gradually revealing more of the stark contrasts in their personalities and differing concepts of love. It's a commonplace premise but McEwan manages to convey so much feeling through his 2 characters that one can't help but be engaged (pun not intended). I also noticed that once more the author shows his penchant for music (the female protagonist is a cellist), and his skill at making it come alive through his text. I have yet to come across another writer who can top McEwan in that regard. McEwan repeatedly proves that not all epic tales have to be overly complicated and drawn-out. In his works and through his words, even the most mundane human experiences have many layers of emotion, thoughts, and pathos. On Chesil Beach is no exception.