What We Can Know

by Ian McEwan
What We Can Know cover
Good Books rating 4.5
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  • ID: 490
  • Added: 2025-09-13
  • Updated: 2025-12-31
  • Formats: 7
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
Startup Daily · 2025-12-21
compelling 4.50

Ian McEwan's latest novel is praised for its expansive canvas and deep exploration of civilizations. The reviewer finds it a compelling read that showcases McEwan's signature portraiture skills.

In this review, the author highlights Ian McEwan's ability to widen his canvas to encompass entire civilizations, a departure from his usual character-focused narratives. They appreciate the depth and breadth of the novel, noting that McEwan's portraiture skills are on full display. The reviewer suggests that this book is a must-read for fans of literary fiction, as it offers a rich and thought-provoking exploration of complex themes.

Quick quotes

    Ian McEwan is my go-to writer for portraiture.

    In What We Can Know, his canvas widens to civilisations – our current one.

    A compelling read that showcases McEwan's signature skills.

Lithub · 2025-12-16
comprehensive 4.50

The novel is included in a comprehensive list of the best books of 2025, indicating its critical acclaim and popularity among readers. It is recognized for its thought-provoking content and engaging narrative.

Lithub's ultimate list of the best books of 2025 features What We Can Know, highlighting its critical acclaim and widespread appeal. The reviewer notes that the novel's thought-provoking content and engaging narrative make it a standout read. This inclusion in a prestigious list underscores the book's quality and its ability to captivate a diverse audience.

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    The Ultimate Best Books of 2025 List

    Ian McEwan, What We Can Know

    A standout read with thought-provoking content and engaging narrative.

guardianbookshop.com · Unknown · 2025-09-20
brilliant 4.50

Ian McEwan's 'What We Can Know' is a captivating novel set in a future where England is reduced to islands due to rising seas. The story follows Tom, an academic obsessed with a lost poem from 2014, and his quest to uncover its secrets. The novel is praised for its brilliant writing and engaging storytelling, with a treasure hunt element that adds excitement.

Ian McEwan's latest novel, 'What We Can Know,' is set about 100 years in the future, where the seas have risen and only islands remain in England. The story revolves around Tom, an academic who is obsessed with a lost poem from around 2014, written by a famous poet for his wife, Vivian. Tom's obsession with Vivian and the poem strains his own relationship with Rose. The first part of the book is a treasure hunt as Tom tries to piece together the poem's location and meaning. The second part reveals the 'true' story, which, while not surprising, is enjoyable. Throughout, McEwan's writing is brilliant, and the storytelling is engaging. The reviewer particularly enjoyed the treasure hunt aspect and the overall narrative.

Quick quotes

    I love how whatever Ian McEwan writes surprises me. He hasn’t settled for a genre and I like that it feels as though he’s still playing and enjoying himself.

    The first part of the book is Tom’s search, both in surviving papers and then via an actual treasure hunt (I love this bit especially), where Tom tries to piece together where the poem might be and what it is about.

    The second of the novel is the ‘true’ story, which I also really enjoyed, although none of it came as a revelation (maybe it wasn’t supposed to). But of course, there is throughout the brilliant McEwan writing, and the easy story-telling.

theguardian.com · Unknown · 2025-09-16
brilliant 4.50

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan is a dystopian novel set in 2119, where English scholar Thomas Metcalfe searches for a mysterious poem from 2014. The novel explores themes of the past, present, and future, and the complexities of human relationships. McEwan's writing is praised for its depth, complexity, and elegance, making it a standout in his literary career.

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan is a captivating dystopian novel that takes readers to the year 2119, where English scholar Thomas Metcalfe is on a mission to uncover a mysterious poem from 2014. The poem, written by noted poet Francis Blundy, was never published and its whereabouts remain unknown. The novel delves into the complexities of the past, present, and future, and the relationships between them. McEwan's writing is praised for its depth, complexity, and elegance, making it a standout in his literary career. The story is intriguing and creative, with complex and flawed characters that readers will love. The novel also explores the idea of what we can truly know about the past and our history, and the impact of our actions on future generations.

Quick quotes

    That our presence here, screened from each other by time, constituted a separate reality, was at the core of my obsession, and perhaps the obsession of all dedicated historians, biographers and archaeologists.

    In McEwan’s brave new world, one rumor is that big business has paid to keep Blundy’s work out of the public eye.

    McEwan completely captures readers with his marvelous writing — painting moods, settings, and descriptions to whet just about any literary appetite.

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