Treading that line, keeping the others in check and being kept in check by them, is what we call morality. "This is our mammalian conflict," Joe reflects, "what to give to the others and what to keep for Not only is this incident beautifully described, but also the moral issue at the center is neatly posed. I've never seen such a terrible thing as that falling man." He fell as he had hung, a stiff little black stick. Perhaps from him, perhaps from some indifferent crow, a thin squawk cut through the stilled air. No forgiveness, no special dispensation for flesh, or bravery, or kindness. As Joe describes what happens: "We watched him drop. But then a stronger gust of wind sweeps the balloon over the edge.Īll but one of the men let go of the rope, leaving the last to be lifted high into the air. All together they grab the balloon by a trailing rope and seem to get it under control at the edge of a steep slope. Joe runs to offer help and is joined by four other men. As Joe is about to open a bottle of wine, he hears a man shout and sees him struggling to hold onto a large gas balloon with a boy in its basket being tossed around by the wind. A couple, Joe and Clarissa Rose, are picnicking in the countryside outside London on a windy springĭay. The opening of Ian McEwan's new novel, "Enduring Love," is one of the most compelling this reviewer has come across in years. The Divine, With Suspense and Passion By CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT The Divine, With Suspense and PassionĢ62 pages.
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