On the hottest day in 1935, and on the brink of a world war, three children lose their innocence as the sweltering summer heat bears down and their lives are changed forever. Cecilia Tallis is of England's privileged class; Robbie Turner is the housekeeper's son. In their moment of intimate surrender, they are interrupted by Cecilia's hyper-imaginative and scheming 13-year-old sister, Briony. As chaos consumes the family, Briony commits a crime, the...

Florence, a talented musician, marries Edward, a young history student, in 1962, honestly believing her sincere love for him might overcome the repulsion she feels at the thought of a physical relationship, but the events of their wedding night puts their lives on very different courses from what they had anticipated.

Winner of such prestigious honors as the Booker Prize and Whitbread Award, Ian McEwan is justifiably regarded as a modern master. Set in 1972, Sweet Tooth follows Cambridge student Serena Frome, whose intelligence and beauty land her a job with England's intelligence agency, MI5. In an attempt to monitor writers' politics, MI5 tasks Serena with infiltrating the literary circle of author Tom Healy. But soon matters of trust and identity subvert the...

Joe Rose, picnicking with his wife Clarissa, is drawn into the rescue attempt of a runaway hot-air balloon with several other men, including Jed Parry, a fanatically religious homosexual who becomes dangerously obsessed with Joe.

"Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home--a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse--but John's not here. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two of them have a plan. But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy's womb. Told from a perspective unlike any other, Nutshell is a classic tale of murder and deceit from one of the world's master storytellers"--...

A child's abduction sends a father reeling in this Whitbread Award-winning novel that explores time and loss. Stephen Lewis, a successful author of children's books, is on a routine trip to the supermarket with his three-year-old daughter. In a brief moment of distraction, she suddenly vanishes-and is irretrievably lost. From that moment, Lewis spirals into bereavement that effects his marriage, his psyche, and his relationship with time itself:...

Taut, brooding, and densely atmospheric, the stories here show us how murder can arise out of boredom, perversity from adolescent curiosity-and how sheer evil can become the solution to unbearable loneliness. These short fiction pieces from the early career of the New York Times–bestselling and Man Booker Prize–winning author of Atonement and On Chesil Beach are claustrophobic tales of childhood, twisted psychology, and disjointed family life...

As summer draws to a close, a 12-year-old boy enjoys the nearby river in a rowboat he purchased with money his deceased parents left behind. When a new boarder comes to live in his home, he befriends the woman, while others keep their distance. Then, on the last day of summer, the boy and the woman embark on a final boat journey--with devastating consequences.

Winner of the Whitbread Award and the Booker Prize, Ian McEwan is one of the most highly regarded contemporary authors in the English language. A fictional memoir set in late 1980s Europe, Black Dogs contemplates individuals responding to vast impersonal forces. Orphaned at the age of eight, Jeremy finds the course of his life transient and groundless until he marries and begins writing a memoir of his wife's estranged parents.

Internationally best-selling author and Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan presents his first book for children-The Daydreamer. Peter Fortune is unlike most kids his age. In fact, he's different from everybody else in the world. Peter has the amazing ability to make his daydreams come true. A captivating narration from Simon Prebble brings McEwan's imaginative and adventurous story to vivid life for listeners of all ages.