The Children Act by Ian McEwan

The Children Act by Ian McEwan follows High Court Judge Fiona Maye in her daily duties as a Court of Appeal judge for family matters. But things change when she is given an urgent case concerning a seventeen-year-old with Leukaemia who is refusing a blood transfusion due to his religion. This is largely due to his parents and the elders believing it is a sin to have a blood transfusion and mix one's blood. On top of this, Fiona is having relationship difficulties with her husband, Jack, whilst also practising her piano playing with her Barrister friend for an upcoming Inn of Court concert. Things take a turn when the 17-year-old boy starts writing to the judge and following her from London to Newcastle to ask her a big question.

I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons. It is a lovely 'law heavy' book in parts, but in a way which is still understandable to the layperson with no knowledge or experience of the law. Although many of the cases are fictional, some do indeed seem to be very related to some well-known cases, and the law within the book seems to be very accurate, making it an entertaining way to receive both an introduction to the life of a court of appeal judge and the fundamentals of family law.  But this book was also incredibly gripping, with so many twists and turns, which made it difficult to put the book down.

I cannot really say that there is anything I really dislike about this book. It is clearly a very good book which, to an extent, sums up the life of anyone with experience in law, but it is also a very good story touching on what can be two sensitive topics. The one potential downside to this book may be the very long chapters, but this doesn't really matter much as the book was gripping enough to make the reader want to read on.

Altogether, I rate this book 3 stars as it is a good, gripping book which takes the reader on a journey into family law and the life of a family law judge whilst also showing their personal life and how they are not perfect. More importantly, McEwan has nicely written a subplot within the main plot in terms of the judges' deteriorating relationship, which further interests the reader and makes them more intrigued in Fiona's actions with the young boy. I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to law students and anyone with an interest in the law or, more specifically, family law.