Black Dogs

Black Dogs is a 1992 novel by the British author Ian McEwan. It concerns the aftermath of the Nazi era in Europe, and how the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s affected those who once saw Communism as a way forward for society. The main characters travel to France, where they encounter disturbing residues of Nazism still at large in the French countryside. Critical reception was polarized. June and Bernard join the Communist Party after their marriage following World War II. Their goal is to dedicate their lives to the pursuit of a utopian communist society through active involvement in socialist politics. Despite their privileged backgrounds and refined education, they have limited practical life experience. During their honeymoon across war-torn Europe, the couple witnesses the devastating aftermath of the war firsthand, which deeply affects them. Bernard, an atheist, responds with despair and seeks solace in idealistic political ideologies. Meanwhile, June has a frightening encounter with two aggressive black dogs, an event that triggers her conversion to belief in God.