Second, it would greatly reduce Julian's chances of becoming Prime Minister, thereby saving the country from almost certain political, social, and economical disaster. First, it would expose Julian Garmony's hypocrisy since he has in the past denounced alternative sexual expressions. Vernon cites two reasons in favor of publication of the photos. However, their discussion ends in a bitter argument marking the beginning of the collapse of their friendship. Vernon, who dislikes Julian for personal and political reasons, is more than willing to publish the potentially scandalous photos of Julian.īefore doing so, Vernon consults his old friend Clive on the matter. George, seeing this as an opportunity to profit financially and to exact revenge over Julian, sells the photos to Vernon, whose London paper the Judge is desperately in need of a captivating story in order to improve its declining circulation. The photos were clearly taken in private. Molly and Julian were lovers at the time of her death and the photos depicted Julian dressed in women's clothing. Molly had taken the photographs prior to her death. Vernon agrees to do so as long as Clive agrees to do the same for him.Īfter Molly's funeral, her husband discovers photographs of the British Foreign Secretary Julian Garmony. Clive asks his old friend, Vernon Halliday, who is also one of Molly's former lovers, to euthanize him if he should ever fall suddenly and irreparably ill. Clive finds it unbearable to think of how horrible it must be to lose one's health so suddenly and he concludes that it is better to die than to suffer in the way in which Molly must have suffered just prior to her death. One of her former lovers is a composer named Clive Linley. At her funeral, her husband and former lovers have gathered at a crematorium in London to pay her their last respects. Molly Lane, a restaurant critic, has just died after suffering from a terminal disease that caused rapid deterioration of her physical and psychological faculties.

Amsterdam novel by ian mcewan