Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

He stood up from the piano, exhausted, satisfied with the progress he had made but apprehensive: he had brought this massive engine of sound to a point where the real work on the finale could begin, and it could do so now only with an inspired invention--the final melody, in its first and simplest form, badly stated on a solo wind instrument, or perhaps the first violins. He had reached the core, and felt burdened.

This is McEwan's Booker Award winning book, although I like some of his other books better. Like everything I have read by McEwan, this book is extremely well written and a pleasure to read. Some criticize McEwan's works for being thin on plot. Not so with Amsterdam with has a large amount of plots twists and turns.

Two friends, a composer and an editor, are drawn into situations which make each examine their moral values and judgements. Ethical decisions are pondered and interesting repercussions arrise. Throw in deep evaluations of life and death, art, music, and the nature of friendship and you have the makings of a rich novel.