Kitchen testified that McEwan did not flinch in the theatre, a common first reaction to surgery 'He sat in the corner, with his notebook and pencil'. While researching the book, McEwan spent two years work-shadowing Neil Kitchen, a neurosurgeon at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London.

McEwan has discussed that he prefers to alternate between writing about the past and the present. Saturday is McEwan's ninth novel, published between Atonement and On Chesil Beach, two works of historical fiction. It has been translated into eight languages. It won the 2005 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Critics noted McEwan's elegant prose, careful dissection of daily life, and interwoven themes. The book, published in February 2005 by Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom and in April in the United States, was critically and commercially successful. Though intelligent and well read, Perowne feels he has little influence over political events. The main character, though outwardly successful, still struggles to understand meaning in his life, exploring personal satisfaction in the post-modern, developed world. The novel explores one's engagement with the modern world and the meaning of existence in it. To understand his character's world-view, McEwan spent time with a neurosurgeon. As he goes about his day, he ponders the meaning of the protest and the problems that inspired it however, the day is disrupted by an encounter with a violent, troubled man. The protagonist, Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, has planned a series of errands and pleasures, culminating in a family dinner in the evening. It is set in Fitzrovia, central London, on Saturday, 15 February 2003, as a large demonstration is taking place against the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. But after a minor traffic accident leads to an unsettling confrontation, Perowne must set aside his plans and summon a strength greater than he knew he had in order to preserve the life that is dear to him.Saturday (2005) is a novel by Ian McEwan. Henry Perowne–a neurosurgeon, urbane, privileged, deeply in love with his wife and grown-up children–plans to play a game of squash, visit his elderly mother, and cook dinner for his family. In his triumphant new novel, Ian McEwan, the bestselling author of Atonement, follows an ordinary man through a Saturday whose high promise gradually turns nightmarish. Saturday is a study in narrative tension that shames most so-called thrillers. Capturing the anxiety of a world on orange alert, McEwan exhibits typical subtlety as he steers the story toward its shattering denouement.

Novelist Ian McEwan's dazzling piece of post-9/11 fiction follows a London neurosurgeon through a day that begins with an ominous portent, settles into routine, and then explodes in a single act of unexpected violence. SATURDAY by Ian McEwan - SIGNED FIRST EDITION BOOK See all titles by Ian McEwan.

Saturday book ian mcewan