, ▁but ▁just ifi ably ▁so — Per ow ne ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁work ▁hard . ▁Mc E wan ▁tells ▁of ▁his ▁success ▁rate ▁and ▁keeping ▁cool ▁under ▁pressure ; ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁trade ▁off , ▁as ▁he ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁work ▁long ▁hours ▁and ▁need ▁to ▁put ▁their ▁di aries ▁side ▁by ▁side ▁to ▁find ▁time ▁to ▁spend ▁together . ▁ ▁Per ow ne ' s ▁compos ure ▁and ▁success ▁mean ▁the ▁imp lied ▁violence ▁is ▁in ▁the ▁background . ▁His ▁personal ▁content ment , ▁( at ▁the ▁top ▁of ▁his ▁profession , ▁and , ▁as ▁John ▁Ban ville ▁finds , ▁" an ▁un ash amed ▁benef ici ary ▁of ▁the ▁f ruits ▁of ▁late ▁capital ism ") ▁provides ▁a ▁hope ful ▁side ▁to ▁the ▁book , ▁instead ▁of ▁the ▁unh app iness ▁in ▁contemporary ▁fiction . ▁Mc E wan ' s ▁previous ▁nov els ▁highlight ed ▁the ▁frag ility ▁of ▁modern ▁ful filled ▁life , ▁seem ingly ▁minor ▁inc idents ▁dram atically ▁ups et ting ▁existence . ▁Crit ic ▁Mich iko ▁K ak ut ani ▁notes ▁that ▁Saturday ▁returns ▁to ▁a ▁theme ▁expl ored ▁in ▁A ton ement , ▁which ▁pl otted ▁the ▁dis ruption ▁of ▁a ▁lie ▁to ▁a ▁middle - class ▁family , ▁and ▁in ▁The ▁Child ▁in ▁Time , ▁where ▁a ▁small ▁child ▁is ▁kid n apped ▁during ▁a ▁day ' s ▁sho pping . ▁This ▁theme ▁is ▁continued ▁in ▁Saturday , ▁a ▁" ta ut ly ▁w ound ▁tour - de - force " ▁set ▁in ▁a