Few writers have shaped contemporary British fiction quite like Ian McEwan. Since publishing his first collection of stories in the 1970s, he has built an extraordinary body of fiction, from unsettling psychological dramas to sweeping historical novels and sharp explorations of morality and human relationships. He is one of only a handful of writers to have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize six times, winning in 1998 with Amsterdam. Several of his novels have also been adapted for film, including On Chesil Beach, his fifth and most recently shortlisted novel.  

It is the summer of 1962, and Florence and Edward are celebrating their wedding at a hotel on the Dorset coast. Yet as they dine, the expectation of consummating their marriage becomes increasingly overwhelming. Unbeknown to them both, the choices they make that evening will echo throughout the rest of their lives. Written with exquisite precision, On Chesil Beach is a devastating portrait of how a single misunderstanding can alter the course of a lifetime.