'Exams tend to corrupt; final exams corrupt finally.' This novel is about exams, literature, sex, cancer and time. It asks: 'What use is the study of literature?' Spanning the period 1961 to 2013, Final Exam follows the careers of three undergraduates. The settings are Cambridge University, Sussex University, and hospitals in and around London. Finally, the novel examines the reader. Ian McEwan says: 'I was fascinated and pleased by Final Exam - a stimulating blend of high energy intellectual and sexual tease.' Other readers' comments: 'Disgusting - but most beautifully written and erudite...' ('Maud', on the Kindle website.) 'Whose final exam, and examined by whom and about what? These questions make the novel a fascinating and thought- provoking read.' (Kate, High School Head of English.) 'I thought, "What has my friend and colleague done? Destroyed our occupation? Just had fun?"' (Laurence Lerner, poet and Professor of English.)