A few months ago, I heard Julian Barnes being interviewed on NPR. After listening to him speak on a variety of topics, I wanted to read something he had written. I finally got around to it last week. “The Sense of an Ending” was the winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2011. It is a not to be missed book.
In less than 170 pages, Barnes has created a novel about how we view our lives in our later years. How do we remember our lives. “How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts.” How often do we want to go back to the beginning and change things.
The story revolves around three school friends. Tony, the narrator, and Veronica were together for a period of time. Eventually they break up and Veronica and Tony’s friend Adrian become lovers. In later years, Tony once again crosses paths with Veronica. He wants to rectify certain actions for which he feels remorse. It is not until the last page that everything comes together. Conclusions that both Tony and the reader have come to are not true.
Barnes’ writing is bare bones. Only what needs to be said is part of the story thus imparting to the reader so many ideas to think about.