What We Can Know

Set against the backdrop of a future where the world grapples with rising sea levels, "What We Can Know" explores the threads connecting the past, present, and future, probing deeply into our identity and destination. Author Ian McEwan, hailed by the Sunday Times as "one of the finest writers alive," offers what is arguably his greatest work yet.Beginning in 2014, a remarkable poem is recited but soon fades into the annals of history, unpublished and elusive. Generations later, in the year 2119, the UK’s lowlands are consumed by the ocean's relentless advance, and the survivors mourn the opulence of a bygone era. Tom Metcalfe, a dedicated scholar from the University of the South Downs—what remains of Britain's fragmented archipelagos—finds himself immersed in early 21st-century archives. Fascinated by the era's liberties and the peak of human potential, Tom’s research inadvertently unveils a lead to the long-lost poem, unraveling a narrative of complex love and a heinous crime, challenging his previous understanding of events he assumed were familiar.Melding elements of a quest, a literary thriller, and a love story, "What We Can Know" stands as a testament to McEwan's genius. It reclaims the urgency of now amidst the looming shadow of disaster, envisioning a future where hope lingers despite overwhelming uncertainty. Celebrated by the Daily Telegraph as "a true master," McEwan is lauded by the New York Times for his exceptional prowess in crafting both plot and prose.