You are totally right, he is not for everybody. BUT I always found I could sell him to anyone interested in literary mysteries, historical fiction, psychology, horror...just have to know which book to steer them towards. My favorite changes daily, but today I will say it is Saturday just to be easy. I think Saturday is the best to get people onto McEwan, though that might have changed with the Atonement film. (Book is radically different and should be described as such :) Saturday is a modern day-in-the-life set in London and very timely. Description in this book is beyond compare. A truly great novel that I think any fiction reader would enjoy.

Amsterdam and Enduring Love are easy to sell as well, if that reader is looking to be absorbed in a story. They are both...intense. The Comfort of Strangers is so frightening, I always told people not to start it at night. I love McEwan because he explores so many different facets of the human mind and psyche, so many things that other writers shy away from. He is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects and he always does it with elegance of prose.

Probably more than you wanted to know! :)