Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Despite the misleading short reviews on the cover (such as 'a web of spying' and 'riveting') and the cover image itself, this isn't actually a spy thriller, which was what I was expecting. But it is really, really good. I'm not a big fan of McEwan, I disliked his 'masterpiece' Atonement, which I see as a retelling of The Go-Between by way of Virginia Woolf, and was awed but utterly revolted by First Love, Last Rites. This is probably my favourite book of his that I've read. The ending especially is so incredibly satisfying. A lot of the problems and complaints I had as I was reading (kind of implausible female main character, slight inconsistencies) gets wonderfully resolved towards the end. I got really confused with all the political stuff a lot of the time, but that's probably my own fault because I don't know enough about the political situation in the UK (or the world) in the 1970s. I really liked the fact that there was a bit of the sort of perverse and unsettling dynamics between characters that McEwan is known for, but it was just enough. Just enough to be interesting and pull the reader in, but not like First Love, Last Rites, where everything is just incredibly twisted and horrible. I also quite liked the style it was written in; clearly intelligent, very informed, littered with references and allusions, slightly detached, and very readable.