Saturday (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Ian McEwan |
| Products | Fiction novel |
Saturday (2005) is a novel authored by Ian McEwan, set in the Fitzrovia district of central London on Saturday, 15 February 2003, coinciding with a major demonstration opposing the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. The story centers on Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, who intends to spend the day running errands and hosting a family dinner. His plans are disrupted after an encounter with a violent stranger, leading him to contemplate the protest and broader societal concerns.
To authentically portray Perowne’s professional environment, McEwan conducted thorough research by accompanying a neurosurgeon during his work. The narrative explores themes of engagement with contemporary existence and questions of meaning, depicting Perowne as intellectually capable yet politically ineffective.
Released by Jonathan Cape in February 2005 in the United Kingdom and in April in the United States, Saturday garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. The novel was lauded for its elegant prose and thematic complexity, earning the 2005 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and being translated into eight different languages.
Composition and publication
Saturday represents McEwan’s ninth novel and is situated chronologically between his historical fiction works Atonement and On Chesil Beach. McEwan alternates his focus between stories set in contemporary times and those rooted in history.
For preparation, McEwan spent two years observing neurosurgeon Neil Kitchen at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Kitchen remarked on McEwan’s calm demeanor during surgical observations. Multiple medical experts reviewed the manuscript to ensure accuracy, resulting in only minor amendments. Additionally, McEwan’s trusted readers, including Timothy Garton Ash and Craig Raine, provided proofreading assistance.
The novel incorporates autobiographical aspects: both Perowne and McEwan reside in Fitzroy Square, and Perowne’s family shares characteristics with McEwan’s own. Christopher Hitchens noted parallels between Perowne’s family dynamics and those of the author. Nevertheless, McEwan’s son Greg pointed out distinctions such as differing tastes in clothing.
Prior to full release, excerpts appeared in five literary journals. The complete work was published by Jonathan Cape in February 2005 simultaneously in London, New York, and Toronto, followed by translations into Dutch, Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Japanese.
Synopsis
The narrative follows Henry Perowne, an accomplished middle-aged surgeon, throughout Saturday 15 February 2003—the day marked by Britain’s largest protest against the Iraq invasion. His morning begins with witnessing a burning airplane streaking across the sky, casting a shadow as news reports fluctuate between accident and terrorist act.
While heading to play squash, a traffic diversion reminds him of the ongoing anti-war demonstrations. After passing through the area, he collides with another vehicle driven by Baxter, who initially attempts to extort money from him. Recognizing signs of Huntington's disease in Baxter during their confrontation, Perowne manages to escape unharmed.
After losing a closely fought squash match, Perowne purchases fish for dinner and visits his mother at a nursing home. Later, he attends his son’s rehearsal before returning home where family tensions surface amid news coverage of the Iraq conflict. His daughter Daisy passionately debates the war and later reconciles with her grandfather through shared literary interests.
When Rosalind, Perowne’s wife, arrives home, Baxter and an accomplice break in wielding knives. Baxter intimidates the family and demands Daisy undress; during this moment Perowne notices she is pregnant. Daisy recites Dover Beach instead of her own poetry, which emotionally unsettles Baxter. He then shows interest in new treatments for Huntington's disease that Perowne mentions. Ultimately, Baxter is subdued by Perowne and his son Theo and rendered unconscious. That night at the hospital, Perowne performs an emergency operation on Baxter successfully. The day concludes early Sunday morning as Perowne returns home.
Happiness
McEwan delves into the concept of contentment through the character of Perowne, who enjoys respect and material prosperity yet experiences a subtle unease, pondering his fortunate circumstances compared to those less privileged. The family benefits from financial stability, residing in an elegant home and owning a Mercedes, achievements attributed to their diligent effort and long working hours.
Perowne’s calm demeanor and career accomplishments offer an optimistic contrast to the prevalent gloom found in much modern fiction. As a "proud product of late capitalism," he symbolizes steadiness amid the fragility of contemporary existence, where threats such as terrorism and war persistently hover in the background.
Scholars observe that Saturday revisits motifs familiar from McEwan’s previous novels, particularly the disruption of middle-class life by external forces. The story presents Perowne’s medical viewpoint on humanity’s vulnerability as more pragmatic than that of novelists, highlighting endurance in an unpredictable world.
Political engagement
The novel opens with a burning airplane, swiftly introducing themes of terrorism and global security. The political march occurring on the same day, coupled with its extensive media attention, sets the stage for Perowne’s contemplations on these issues. Christopher Hitchens remarked that the narrative unfolds on "the very day when all of 'bien-pensant' Britain took to the streets to jeer at George Bush and Tony Blair," grounding the story firmly in current political events. The Economist characterized this setting as "a world where terrorism and warfare dominate headlines but also permeate everyday life." McEwan himself reflected, "The demonstration took place near my home, and I was disturbed by how many appeared exhilarated to be part of it." Portrayed as an intelligent and introspective individual—a "regular observer of his own emotions"—Perowne becomes a vehicle through which this theme is directly examined.
"He mistakenly believes he is active within the narrative. Does he imagine he’s influencing outcomes by watching news broadcasts or lying on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon reading yet more columns filled with baseless certainties... forecasts forgotten almost immediately, long before reality disproves them?"
Situated somewhat apart from the turmoil, Perowne’s intellect fosters a sense of detachment; he perceives both perspectives without embracing absolute convictions. His concern for Iraqis’ plight is informed by his friendship with an exiled Iraqi academic, granting him insight into Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime while also considering his children’s anxieties about the conflict. Frequently adopting opposing stances depending on company, he expresses dovish opinions with his American friend and more hawkish views when speaking with his daughter.
Rationalism
McEwan firmly roots Perowne in a rational, empirical worldview. Perowne openly criticizes aspects of contemporary literature, particularly expressing disdain for magical realism:
"What were these esteemed twentieth-century authors doing—mature men and women—bestowing supernatural abilities upon their characters?" Under his daughter’s guidance, Perowne attempted to appreciate fiction by reading Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary, yet he dismissed their contrived nature despite their detailed depiction of everyday life.
His skeptical stance contrasts with his scientific mindset as he grapples with understanding modern complexities. He explicitly questions, "The times are strange enough; why invent things?" There is perhaps an ironic undertone in Perowne’s position given his limited literary background.
Perowne’s rational outlook is challenged by his daughter Daisy, who is a poet. In the story’s climax, while Perowne provides medical assistance to Baxter, Daisy recites Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach, invoking ideals of civilization that briefly pacify their attacker. McEwan sought to investigate "whether storytelling remains necessary." Critic Brian Bethune interpreted this as both a critique of fiction and a plea for its enduring value.
Additionally, Perowne is portrayed as non-religious; his medical experience reveals life’s fragility and consciousness’s reliance on brain function. His complex ethical perspective considers multiple viewpoints—after defending himself medically against Baxter, he reflects on his actions with sincere Hippocratic concern. While purchasing fish, he contemplates scientific findings regarding fish sentience and considers ceasing to eat them. His rationalism extends to acknowledging the brutal realities of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship as recounted by an Iraqi professor he treated while also empathizing with his children’s anti-war sentiments.
Genre and style
Saturday is a novel categorized as "post 9/11," exploring the shifts in Western lifestyles following the September 11 attacks. Christopher Hitchens characterized it as "firmly rooted... in the physical world and its frustrations".[1] The narrative is constructed as a tightly knit thriller, depicting an appealing family while serving as a metaphor for life's vulnerability in the aftermath of 9/11.[2]
Significantly, on page 276, the story foreshadows the 7 July 2005 London bombings, portraying London as susceptible to an assault during peak commuting hours:
London, his small part of it, lies wide open, impossible to defend, waiting for its bomb... Rush hour will be a convenient time...
The plot follows the classical dramatic unities of place, time, and action, unfolding over a single day amid anti-war demonstrations in London.[3] Perowne’s activities occur alongside omnipresent hyper-realistic screens broadcasting news.[4] Reflecting the protagonist's preferences, Saturday deliberately avoids "magical realism".[1] Its timeline spanning approximately 26 hours has invited comparisons to works such as Ulysses by James Joyce and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, with Michiko Kakutani describing it as an "immediate, post-9/11 reinterpretation."[5]
The story is told through a third-person limited viewpoint, allowing readers to experience events through Perowne’s perspective. The use of free indirect discourse immerses readers in Perowne’s analytical neurosurgeon mindset, providing medical explanations for various occurrences.[6] This approach captures transient thoughts often missed.[7] Hitchens observed McEwan's narrative distancing by employing a "Runyonesque historical present" tense ("He rises …" "He strides …"), which firmly situates the story within its context.[1]
Reception
Saturday attained the No. 3 position on both the New York Times Best Seller List (15 April 2005) and Publishers Weekly (4 April 2005), with initial sales surpassing 250,000 copies and signings drawing large crowds. The paperback release contributed an additional 250,000 copies sold.
In The Times, Ruth Scurr commended McEwan as "[perhaps] Britain’s finest novelist," emphasizing his examination of happiness through a surgeon's viewpoint. Christopher Hitchens highlighted the novel’s fusion of McEwan’s compassionate and intellectual qualities, while Matt Thorne in Literary Review described it as "a refined and sophisticated work" that evokes a compelling sense of unease.
Reviewers lauded McEwan’s meticulous attention to detail. Michiko Kakutani praised the "countless subtle details" that build suspense. Tim Adams of The Observer similarly noted the observations as "exquisitely precise." In The Guardian, Mark Lawson remarked on McEwan’s matured prose featuring "meticulous, sensory rhythms," with particularly credible character development in neurosurgeon Perowne. This focus allowed McEwan to cultivate "an increasing sense of tension through the smallest nuances."
Opinions on the novel’s structure were divided: Scurr admired its vivid scenes, whereas John Banville perceived it as a collection of separate episodes but acknowledged the car crash sequence as "exceptional" and Perowne’s visit to his mother as "deeply moving." Michael Dirda from The Washington Post found certain passages "breathtaking" though occasionally overly stylized. Hitchens appreciated McEwan’s "masterful depiction" of a squash match despite his personal indifference to sports; Banville found this same scene tedious. Zoe Heller praised the climax's suspense but expressed reservations about its conclusion.
Banville’s critique in The New York Review of Books was harsh, condemning the novel’s political commentary as "trite," its tone as smug, characters as unconvincing, and McEwan’s technical prowess as contrived.
Saturday received the James Tait Black Prize for fiction and was included on the longlist for the Man Booker Prize in 2005.
Radio Adaptation
In 2016, a condensed 10-episode version of Saturday by Alison Joseph was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, featuring narration by Robert Glenister.
Impact on Culture
The songwriter Neil Finn from Crowded House drew inspiration from Saturday when creating "People Are Like Suns," a track on the 2007 album Time on Earth. The song’s opening lines were shaped by the visual of "a man on his balcony watching a plane go down."
See also
External links
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