What We Can Know

In the year 2119, Tom Metcalfe 1 takes a ferry to the Bodleian Snowdonia Library, now perched a thousand feet above the sea in a Britain transformed by nuclear tsunamis, climate catastrophe, and the Inundation of 2042 into a chain of islands. Average life expectancy has dropped to sixty-two. Tom 1 is a humanities lecturer at the University of the South Downs, obsessed with the period 1990 to 2030 and one mystery above all: a long poem called A Corona for Vivien by the great poet Francis Blundy. 3 Written on vellum as a birthday gift, read aloud once at a dinner in 2014, it was never published

Lesson 1: Ten Guests, One Scroll

This principle from What We Can Know is backed by Ian McEwan's extensive research and real-world examples. Understanding it deeply can shift how you approach decisions, relationships, and long-term planning in meaningful ways.

Lesson 2: Fifteen Sonnets, Ten Silences

This principle from What We Can Know is backed by Ian McEwan's extensive research and real-world examples. Understanding it deeply can shift how you approach decisions, relationships, and long-term planning in meaningful ways.

How to Apply What We Can Know's Lessons

The real value of What We Can Know lies in its applicability. After reading, the most important step is identifying which of Ian McEwan's principles speak most directly to your current situation.

Consider keeping a journal while reading — noting where the ideas challenge your current approach and where they confirm what you already suspected. The friction of your own resistance often points to the most important insights.

Key Quote

"Ten Guests, One Scroll" — Ian McEwan, What We Can Know

About the Author

Ian McEwan is the author of What We Can Know. The book reflects years of research, observation, and synthesis of evidence from multiple disciplines.