In Between the Sheets

short stories by McEwan

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July 15, 2026

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In Between the Sheets is a 1978 collection of short stories by British author Ian McEwan. This collection, along with his earlier First Love, Last Rites, established McEwan's reputation for exploring dark themes. The stories in In Between the Sheets are characterized by their focus on sexual aberrance, black comedy, and macabre obsessions, earning McEwan the nickname "Ian Macabre". These early works often feature a bizarre cast of characters and delve into disturbing narratives.12

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Ian McEwan
Education and first works
…for writers under age 35—and In Between the Sheets (1978), both of which feature a bizarre cast of grotesques in disturbing tales of sexual aberrance, black comedy, and macabre obsession. His first novel, The Cement Garden (1978; film 1993), traces the incestuous decline of a family of orphaned children. The…
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…for writers under age 35—and In Between the Sheets (1978), both of which feature a bizarre cast of grotesques in disturbing tales of sexual aberrance, black comedy, and macabre obsession. His first novel, The Cement Garden (1978; film 1993), traces the incestuous decline of a family of orphaned children. The…
Read More