NUTSHELL - Ian McEwan (2016)

“So here I am, upside down in a woman.”

'Nutshell' is a novel told from the perspective of an unborn baby. His stream of consciousness forms the entire narrative. The foetus can’t see the world around him, so McEwan has to describe every scene via muffled sounds, changes in temperature, and the arrival of tastes through the umbilical cord. This approach isn't unique, and can also be found in a couple of other novels, such as Fuentes' 'Christopher Unborn'. It's a quirky approach to story telling, and isn't to everyone's taste, but McEwan is a master of the method. His skill should be appreciated, even if the premise is bizarre.

Unexpectedly, the foetus speaks in loquacious and sophisticated language. The story is interspersed with philosophical musings, as the unborn baby weighs up a variety of moral and intellectual issues. His mother likes to listen to podcasts, and her son has engaged with a lot of the content. It’s a strange dynamic, and can sometimes feel slightly overcooked, but it’s also a clever technique. By giving the foetus such an adult voice, McEwan creates a real sense of irony and humour. Occasionally, this means that the book can feel a little bit contrived. Now and again, McEwan is so busy celebrating the intellect of his foetus that the actual plot feels slightly neglected.

Thankfully, however, this is only an occasional problem. 'Nutshell' is still ripe with suspense, and boasts a cast of memorable characters. The foetal voice reports a gripping storyline, laced with adultery, conflict and murder. In many ways, this baby is simply a third person narrator. He reports the events without ever being able to influence them, apart from a couple of well-timed kicks against the uterine walls. Perhaps, if the speaker is viewed as a narrator, as opposed to a talking foetus, the novel will feel slightly less alienating to those who were initially disconcerted by the premise.

This idea could also be important in the context of the novel's moral implications. This foetus has a fully-developed emotional and sensory range, which some readers have misconstrued as a pro-life message. However, McEwan didn’t write this as a piece of anti-abortion propaganda. The foetus' voice is a fun and quirky literary technique, but nothing more poignant than that. He's just a fictional narrator in a fictional world. Unborn babies don't really have refined tastes in wine, an interest in world politics, or a preference for poetry...

McEwan isn't trying to say anything otherwise. This novel, ultimately, is just his attempt to have fun with an unusual literary quirk.

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