Solar

To judge from this novel, Ian McEwan is a fraud. The character of Michael Beard, the scientist protagonist, is utterly false. It is impossible to regard him as anything other than a novelistic invention. None of his sentences, or actions, ring true, and although McEwan acknowledges scientists who helped him with the photovoltaic aspects, even those sound as though written by a half-assed student trying to bluff his way through an exam. I liked On Chesil Beach, although the characters there weren't entirely believable either, and Saturday built to an excellent climax. But this one has an air of preciousness and a stink of falsity that will not dissipate.