Will I love The Children Act?

What is positive and what is negative in action? The novel’s protagonist, Fiona Maye, is a judge haunted by her past ruling on a medical case, which could be described as both saving one twin and taking the life of another. Was her verdict of separation really only intentional under the former description (to use a phrase coined by the philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe)?

I adore how the book is replete with characters who remain standing, say nothing, refuse treatment, give up, forget, let go, etc., yet in so doing, are also said to be doing favors, acting kindly, destroying marriages,… show more.

I’ve long been a huge fan of McEwan, whose many works often revolve around a central question with no easy answer, and The Children Act is a brilliant example. A high court judge must decide whether to enforce medical treatment for a teenage boy which will save his life, but that he is refusing on religious grounds. The decision she makes, all the while grappling with past judgments and her current marriage issues, does not put an end to the matter, and McEwan takes the reader on many unforeseen twists and turns.