Lessons

Lessons
Written by Ian McEwan
Published by Jonathan Cape 2022

Roland Baines could be a true person. But he’s not. Lessons could be a true account. But it’s not. This is a fictional story that spans decades, following a boy into adulthood. Roland is a product of a love affair between a young, mistreated mother and a hard army Major. At the age of eleven, he is cast away from the girlish bosom of his mother and repositioned in an English boarding school. It is here that he learns his first lesson in piano, and his first lesson in love.

A love affair between a teacher and a fourteen year old student will leave a mark. And that it does. Roland will never know what could have become of his piano career, or his ability to form intimate relationships with others. And perhaps he doesn’t want to. He only knows that his adult self has been directly impacted by the fateful years when he was seduced and controlled by his irresistible piano teacher.

When his own son is seven months old, Roland’s wife mysteriously disappears, leaving only a note ‘Don’t try to find me.’ and ‘I’ve been living the wrong life.’ So we learn about Roland’s life alongside colossal moments in history such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. The book jumps back and forth in time, giving us perspective and understanding for why the story-present must unfold the way it does.

Ian McEwan writes a captivating and at times, bizarre tale. Like his other novels, his ideas are unique yet believable, and he sweeps you up in saga of love, life and family.