Saturday is a novel written by Ian McEwan and published in 2005. The narrative is set in London in 2003, during a time in February where there were protests happening because of the United States’ invasion of Iraq during that time. The setting of this novel already starts pushing at the themes that will be explored in greater detail throughout the novel.
Ian Russell McEwan, the author of Saturday, is an English author and screenwriter. His novels are all well received not only in Great Britain but also all around the world. At the beginning of his career, McEwan started out by writing short stories of the Gothic fashion. However, he has since published different types of novels, some of which have been adapted into films as well. McEwan has also won many prizes for his writing, such as the Man Booker Prize and the Jerusalem Prize.
Saturday is a novel that features a protagonist named Henry Perowne, an experienced, 48 year old neurosurgeon in London. Though he has his days planned out nicely, filled with work and errands and family, he still is affected by the protests and the violence happening in the world. As Perowne navigates his own life, we follow the developing themes of happiness, political engagement, terrorism, and rationalism in Saturday.
