Solar by Ian McEwan is technically a science fiction novel, but it’s understandable that some people might not view it as such. The book deals with a technological breakthrough as the center of the story and, while the technology is essential to the book, the book is not about technology. The book is a character study that uses the technology to help bring out the true face of its characters. So what is the book about?

Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize winning physicist. No matter that some people think he only won because the other four finalists split the vote, Beard won and is reaping the benefits of it. He has leveraged his name to help fight global warming. It’s been years since he does anything new and is just coasting on his past credentials. And his fifth marriage is falling apart. His wife found out that he was cheating, but unlike his other wives, she simply moved out of the bedroom and started having her own affairs. When her affair intersects with his work, an accident changes everyone’s life.

Beard finds himself in the sole possession of new and exciting theories that could not only revolutionize solar energy, but also make him relevant again in the physics world. We skip from 2000 when the events unfold, to 2005 where things start coming together (and falling apart) to 2009 where everything ends.

The book is well written and McEwan does a great job on Beard. The reader really gets to know Beard, warts and all. The other characters aren’t drawn in great detail, but with enough information and style to know them and how they affect Beard. The main issue I had with the book is the end. The final chapter seems to come out of nowhere and changes the entire story. It makes sense from a story perspective, but it just appears out of nowhere and is very jarring. Until then it was a wonderful book, but the ending was so disappointing, that I can’t recommend it that highly. Mildly recommended.