What is the climax of Atonement?

Question

i mean the book by McEwan, but if you have seen the movie (i haven't) and can say, please do. thanks

Answer 1

It's been a while.  Briony finishes the book.  She realizes that she has brought vast misfortune down on both the sister and the young man. As i recall the man dies from war wounds and cannot be rejoined with the sister, or at least not rejoined with her sister for very long after his return from the war.

The "redemption" is that in the book Briony writes that the sister and the man live a long and happy life post war.  "I have given them happiness in the story", she says, more or less.  Not the case in reality. Sad.