- What We Can Know - Ian McEwan. A story about the experience of being somewhere vs the story told about that experience. The difference between the lived experience & history. How can we know what we know? What is the truth? As a side note, some reviewers were saying Vivien was an unlikeable character but I didn't find that to be true. She is human, and she is telling herself and the people around her a story about a version of herself that she wishes was true. And in a way, she makes that version the true version. And none of us are the person we want to be, I don't think. We know our own thoughts too well to think we're good people. But reading this makes me think of the Ender's Game series where Ender describes his brother Peter and remarks something along the lines of "Peter discovered that acting like a good person is indistinguishable to others from being a good person." In some ways, this is a book that asks, what is it that makes a person good? Worthwhile? What is their legacy and what is the point? Is there a distinction between good art & good people? Etc.
jan 26 2026 ∞
jan 26 2026 +
