By Ian McEwan. On the hottest day of the summer in 1935 , 13-year-old Briony witnesses a moment by a fountain - and the lives of three people are changed for ever. Sian Thomas reads the first part of Ian McEwan 's Booker short-listed novel about love, truth and the difficulty of absolution. Abridged in 15 parts by Sally Marmion. Producer Di Speirs