The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes   7/10

This is the story of Tony Webster and his clique of three school friends who start out as arrogant intellectuals questioning the world, but then drift apart as they get older. In later life, the past catches up with Webster and this book is a philosophical reflection of his actions.

I’ve read one other book by Barnes, Arthur and George which struggles with its literary identity as it flicks between biography, romance, spirituality and detective novel, all of which make it feel a bit bloated as it swaggers between these different styles. The Sense of an Ending is the exact opposite of that; it is succinct and focuses on the themes of history and memory, divided into two parts.

The first part is a retrospective account of Webster’s school and university days, particularly his interaction with one influential friend, Adrian Finn and his first proper girlfriend, Veronica Ford.

Part two deals primarily with the modern day and adds a further layer of mystery to the story, leading to a climax that feels more like a thriller than the more whimsical opening pages. Yet, perhaps that is the intention?

This book asks a lot of questions about how we perceive time and how our memories affect our actions and conscience. It is short, but the cyclical nature of the story makes it satisfying and I thought it was superbly well written. The recurring themes can get a bit repetitive but they are strong and leave the reader questioning their own perceptions. Would you remember a letter written 40 years ago word for word? No, but you might recall the sentiment of that letter, and that could well be different to how the recipient saw it.

Webster’s character almost prides himself on his middle class dullness, in contrast to those around him who are brilliant and mercurial. The person we display to others is always the most interesting parts of ourselves as we look to impress and seek approval. Webster finds himself dull, is comfortable with that, but I do not think Veronica sees him in this way, even when they are young and she uses her intellect in a way that he finds domineering.

I enjoyed this book and can see why it won the Booker Prize. It is short, but intelligent enough, without being a bore. In fact, I essentially read it in one sitting and was impressed with the ending.