The Comfort of Stranger by Ian McEwan

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'The Comfort of Strangers' by Ian McEwan. It is a skillfully written short novel about a couple on vacation in an unnamed city, which, through various details seems to be Venice.

The thing I love most about this book is the subtle detail that McEwan achieves in painting the intimate lives of the main characters, Colin and Mary. The couple are on a long languid holiday spent roaming the streets, visiting cafes and shops and making love.

The love making scenes are far from pornographic. Rather they stress the simple intimate language of the caresses that become both routine and comforting in their familiarity. Through these scenes, as well as their almost unconcious interactions at cafes and shops McEwan illustrates their relationship and the reader feels that the quality of there relationship is more fully understood.

This intimacy is interupted by a man named Robert who almost forces his company upon them as they are walking the streets one night in search of a cafe. They begin encountering Robert periodically despite attempts to escape his notice. Eventually they stay a night at Robert's home and meet Robert's wife, Caroline, who is suffering from debilitating back pain.

The quiet details of touch and glances serve to enhance the impact of the ending of the story.

This is the second book I have read by McEwan and these sketches of personal relationship and the small details of personal interactions between characters seems to be a mainstay of his writing. I look forward to reading the other novels by him on my list.