Lunchtime read: Saturday

Not much reading again because of a constant headache. But did manage a lunchtime read and a good 30 pages where Henry almost gets a beating after having a prang and smashing off a wing mirror. The irony is that the men want £75 cash rather than going down the legal route of exchanging insurance details.

My mother in law backed into someone recently and roughly the same amount was asked for. It must be the sum that people who don’t bother with insurance plumb for.

Anyway Henry refuses and is on the brink of getting a beating when he speaks to the ringleader, who is can clearly diagnose with Huntington’s disease. While he talks to him about possibilities for treatments the moment when he could have taken a beating passes and two of the gang that was on the brink of swinging punches heads off to Tottenham Court Road to watch the anti-war marchers.

having introduced the idea of fear of terrorism and a suspicion that voilence is all around McEwan steps it up to become something that is much more personal. Having painted the little pocket of London around Euston/Warren Street as being quite swanky suddenly the reality of London kicks in with the voilence around every corner. That is not something new from 9/11 but ever since I have lived in the capital has been there.

More tomorrow…