McEwan portrays the life of a scientist as filled with ego-battles and petty jealousies. Nonetheless, the Nobel prestige still brings him positions on leading advisory councils and scientific bodies, lucrative job offers, requests that he endorse various noble causes, and lots of all-expenses-paid trips around the globe while speaking at conferences. The novel covers the period between 20 when Beard‘s better days are perhaps behind him.

He is difficult to like and that makes the book very gripping, as one is compelled to read on in hopes for his downfall or failure. The central character, Michael Beard, is a “bald, short, fat, clever” Nobel prize-winning physicist with a chaotic personal life that revolves around numerous love affairs and a trail of broken marriages. It’s clearly going to have an impact on our lives and it has huge human consequences…” The unsympathetic scientist “I am surprised that there aren’t more novels. McEwan was interviewed just after receiving the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize (the UK’s literary award for comic writing) for Solar. In a recent Guardian interview, McEwan explained why: “Novels don’t work if you badger people, which is mainly why I have the comic frame.” However, another conspiracy theory novel did not hold much appeal, especially around global warming.Īs for Solar, the best part is that it is satire. I recall hearing about Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, where a “ self-important NGO hypes the science of climate change to further the ends of evil eco-terrorists”. I am an avid reader of popular fiction but to date had not come across anything worth reading related to climate change, peak oil or solar power. I had never read Ian McEwan’s work before and was tempted to delve into his other books available at the store - Saturday, On Chesil Beach and Atonement - but decided to hold out for Solar. I had visited my local bookstore in Tokyo a few times in search of a copy but without luck, as English books tend to arrive here a little late. I quickly made my way to the ATM for Singaporean dollars, returned to make my purchase, and then headed to the coffee shop to look it over before my flight.Īfter reading various reviews, I had been searching for the book since it went on sale back in March. Feeling guilt pangs at having grown my carbon footprint with another business trip, I wandered into the bookstore and was delighted to see this tale about climate change and energy science perched at the top of the best sellers shelf. A couple of weeks back, in the futuristic Terminal 3 of Singapore’s Changi Airport, I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the novel Solar.

Michael crichton climate book