The Children Act
ABOUT
THE BOOK
Fiona Maye, a leading High Court judge, renowned for her fierce intelligence and sensitivity is called on to try an urgent case. For religious reasons, a seventeen-year-old boy is refusing the medical treatment that could save his life. Time is running out.
She visits the boy in hospital – an encounter which stirs long-buried feelings in her and powerful new emotions in the boy. But it is Fiona who must ultimately decide whether he lives or dies and her judgement will have momentous consequences for them both.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Superbly crafted with an enthralling treatment of an unusual subject.
This short, beautifully written story is a perfect balance between research and imagination. Vivid scenes and characters are painted in elegant style. The novel keeps us in suspense until the end, which is tender and very moving.
An excellent novel with the power of poetry and music in it. It creates a flow of human emotions that will overwhelm the reader.
This is a deeply satisfying novel which debates some of the difficult moral questions which can arise in contemporary society. Running in parallel is the completely believable story of the protagonist’s reactions to the threatened break-up of her marriage. McEwan’s prose is, as ever, a pleasure.