This is Ian McEwan’s second novel, published in 1981. In it, a youngish married couple who have clearly been together long enough to drift apart a little find themselves in Venice on a kind of extended holiday. They spend their days mostly in silence, drifting through the city together or apart, smoke weed on the balcony, drink at sunset, and barely talk or touch. But then they meet Robert, an eager and willing tour guide to the city’s hidden features. He takes them to dinners, […]