▁of ▁the ▁book ▁for ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Review ▁of ▁Books . ▁He ▁described ▁Saturday ▁as ▁the ▁sort ▁of ▁thing ▁that ▁a ▁committee ▁directed ▁to ▁produce ▁a ▁' nov el ▁of ▁our ▁time ' ▁would ▁write , ▁the ▁politics ▁were ▁" ban al "; ▁the ▁tone ▁ar rog ant , ▁self - s atisf ied ▁and ▁in comp et ent ; ▁the ▁characters ▁card board ▁cut - outs . ▁He ▁felt ▁Mc E wan ▁stro ve ▁too ▁hard ▁to ▁display ▁technical ▁knowledge ▁" and ▁his ▁ability ▁to ▁put ▁that ▁knowledge ▁into ▁good , ▁clean ▁pro se ". ▁ ▁Saturday ▁won ▁the ▁James ▁T ait ▁Black ▁Prize ▁for ▁fiction ; ▁and ▁was ▁nominated ▁on ▁the ▁long - list ▁of ▁the ▁Man ▁Book er ▁Prize ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 5 . ▁ ▁In flu ence ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁song writer ▁Neil ▁Finn , ▁the ▁Crow ded ▁House ▁song ▁" Pe ople ▁Are ▁Like ▁S uns ", ▁from ▁Time ▁on ▁Earth ▁( 2 0 0 7 ), ▁begins ▁with ▁lyr ics ▁inspired ▁by ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁Saturday , ▁stating ▁"... when ▁I ▁wrote ▁it , ▁I ▁was ▁reading ▁Ian ▁Mc E wan ' s ▁novel ▁Saturday , ▁which ▁begins ▁with ▁a ▁man ▁on ▁his ▁bal con y ▁watching ▁a ▁plane ▁go ▁down , ▁so ▁the ▁first ▁lines ▁borrow ▁something ▁from ▁that ▁image ." ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁▁ ▁September ▁ 1 1 , ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁attacks ▁in ▁popular ▁culture ▁ ▁Notes ▁ ▁External ▁links ▁▁ ▁Ian ▁Mc E wan ' s ▁Official ▁Website .