 Lydia of The Observer enjoyed the " Russian doll " of the novel 's multiple layers , and its " keen emotional pull . " Though she had certain misgivings along the way , she felt that the last few pages answered all her questions and " moved [ her ] almost to tears . " Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times was taken by the stories within the story , and though they tended to " suck vivacity from the main narrative " , she saw this as a device to illuminate the " different crafts of writing short stories and novels . " Benjamin Errett , writing for the National Post , pointed out how McEwan had blended spy fiction and literary criticism to a combination that was both exciting and intellectually stimulating . In reference to Serena and Tom 's different literary preferences , he concluded that " [ t ] his novel is juicy enough to satisfy them both . " 
