The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes. Published 2011 by Random House.
Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize and latest novel by acclaimed British writer Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending is
a must-read for any reader of literary fiction. The book tells the
story, in his own words, of middle-aged Tony Webster and his lifetime of
regret around his relationship with two people- Veronica, an
ex-girlfriend, and Adrian, a close friend from school. Lifetime of
regret isn't quite right; he doesn't find out until very late in his
story that he has any reason to regret but when he does, it's as though
the weight of all of his decisions crashes upon him and he's left to
sort through the rubble alone.
The theme of the novel is laid out early, as a high-school-aged Adrian
is talking to a teacher about how to write history fairly: "That's one
of the central problems of history, isn't it, sir? The question of
subjective versus objective interpretation, the fact that we need to
know the history of the historian in order to understand the version
that's being put in front of us." And herein lies the central challenge
of this book. Tony is telling this story from the future, after the
events have taken place; in the opening pages, as we're getting to know
the characters, their futures, and Tony's, is hidden from us but not
from the man telling the story. He knows things we don't yet, and these
things color the way he tells the story. We can't understand anything
he's saying until we know everything and we don't know everything until
the very end.
Therefore, re-reading The Sense of an Ending is mandatory!
However the book is short enough, and more than wonderful enough, to
make a reread easy and worthwhile. Soon after this point in the story,
Tony meets Veronica, and their relationship forms the basis of the rest
of the book. Even after their romance ends, they continue to interact in
meaningful ways; one could say that Tony's relationship with Veronica
is the central and defining one of his life, even as he tries to argue
that other women were more important. That lie is one of many, maybe not
lies exactly but self-deceptions Tony tries to sell the reader. The
final secret is revealed obliquely, which tells us something about
Tony's ability to process what he's learned and face it.
The Sense of an Ending is a wonderfully, intricately crafted
unreliable-narrator story starring a perfectly ordinary man who, through
one act of cruelty by whose impact he himself seems baffled, upends
four lives for years to come. It's also the story of his reckoning and
acceptance of what he's done as well as his ultimate irrelevance. And it
is a book that deserves an immediate re-read. But you'll want to- you
really will. It's just that good!
This counts towards the Complete Booker Perpetual Challenge.
Re-reading is mandatory -- that's a great point. I haven't done it but I am sure it would be very interesting to do so! Great review, Marie.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, and I love the idea for a blog. I had this exact same idea about 2 minutes ago, only for a quick google search to unearth the fact that you were way ahead of me.
ReplyDeleteI thought the 2011 crop of Booker nominees was just about the best ever, having read a lot of not so great books nominated in previous years. Looking forward to reading more of your reviews and opinions.
David, I'm glad you found us! This blog started in 2007 and after all this time we've accumulated a pretty nice compilation of reviews. Enjoy!
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