▁noticed ▁by ▁many ▁critics ; ▁Mrs ▁Sc urr ▁pra ised ▁it , ▁describing ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁" v ivid ▁table aux ", ▁but ▁John ▁Ban ville ▁was ▁less ▁im pressed , ▁calling ▁it ▁an ▁assembly ▁of ▁discrete ▁set ▁pieces , ▁though ▁he ▁said ▁the ▁treatment ▁of ▁the ▁car ▁crash ▁and ▁its ▁after math ▁was ▁" master ful ", ▁and ▁said ▁of ▁Per ow ne ' s ▁visit ▁to ▁his ▁mother : ▁" the ▁writing ▁is ▁genu in ely ▁affect ing ▁in ▁its ▁simplicity ▁and ▁em path etic ▁force ." ▁From ▁the ▁initial ▁" d ram atic ▁over t ure " ▁of ▁the ▁aircraft ▁scene , ▁there ▁were ▁" ast on ishing ▁pages ▁of ▁description ", ▁sometimes ▁" heart - sto pping ", ▁though ▁it ▁was ▁perhaps ▁a ▁touch ▁too ▁art ful ▁at ▁times , ▁according ▁to ▁Michael ▁Dir da ▁in ▁The ▁Washington ▁Post . ▁Christopher ▁H itch ens ▁said ▁that ▁Mc E wan ▁delivered ▁a ▁" vir tu oso ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁aer od ynam ics ▁of ▁a ▁squ ash ▁game ," ▁enjoy able ▁even ▁" to ▁a ▁sports ▁h ater ▁like ▁myself ", ▁Ban ville ▁said ▁he , ▁as ▁a ▁literary ▁man , ▁had ▁been ▁b ored ▁by ▁the ▁same ▁scene . ▁Z oe ▁H eller ▁pra ised ▁the ▁t ension ▁in ▁the ▁clim ax ▁as ▁" v int age ▁Mc E wan ▁night m are " ▁but ▁question ed ▁the ▁resolution ▁as ▁" f aint ly ▁pre post er ous ". ▁ ▁John ▁Ban ville ▁wrote ▁a ▁sc ath ing ▁review