The Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes

Oct 2011 · Sold by Vintage

About this eBook

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present.

A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre.

Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Ratings and reviews

This is a book for those who like to ponder and toss about philosophical concepts on the meaning of life, love and death. The story is small in scope, only 167 pages, but packs a lot of punch. I personally think it reads like the memoir of someone reflecting back on his or her life and memories. The story unfolds slowly and is intentionally ambiguous at times as Barnes explores choices we make, different levels of responsibility and the effects of time on one’s memory. He also leaves some questions unanswered - not necessarily a book for everyone, but rather for those who like to reminisce about the past and explore the deeper meaning of things. Recommend for those who enjoy a more literary read. Winner of the Man Booker prize.

I feel like I am not the target audience of this novel. I related very strongly to the "youthful" period versions of the characters, and I am still a relatively young person. While the story was interesting and superb and the ending both surprising and complete, the book, in retrospect, felt cheap. Perhaps the intent was a postmodern critique of meaningful characters like Adrian, but that case wasn't made forceful or relevant by the story. The quality of the writing alone is worth five stars.

Tony Webster is a quiet young man, not much influenced by the subtleties of life’s experiences. He is not confrontational and would not be described as a man of great passion. He pretty much accepts life as it comes along and doesn’t look for hidden messages. As a student in the sixties, he and his friends are typical youths. It is a decade of discovery; innocence is being redefined and the new freedoms that are being explored can have dangerous consequences. When a fellow student commits suicide, because he gets a girl into trouble and cannot face the responsibility, Tony and his friends, Colin, Alex and Adrian, discuss the philosophy of the deed in a cerebral, rather than emotional way. Intellectually, Adrian is the brightest bulb and he analyzes the issue for them; life should be lived and ended well. When Adrian also commits suicide, Tony and his friends agree he executed his suicide well, but they are forced to try and understand the incomprehensible nature of such an act. Why would Adrian commit such an act of desperation? Will they divine the answer? In this brief, well executed story, in which no word is wasted, the memories of Tony Webster are explored and the unreliability of memories, in general, and the false conclusions they may lead to, are examined. Although we move on and forget some of the more radical and even heinous aspects of our youthful behavior, others may bear the burden of their effects as life goes on. A careless word, a cruel note, a heartless remark, may leave our consciousness only to land in someone else’s with profound consequences. The book explores suicide, the execution of the act and the reasons motivating it. It explores consequences that often go unnoticed. It is the story of memories and mistakes, actions and behavior that once taken are irreversible. Sometimes, remorse is not enough to reverse or excuse the thoughtless ill wishes or foolish behavior of our youth. In the end, has our life been well lived? Has Tony’s? The reader will decide.

About the author

JULIAN BARNES is the author of twenty previous books including, most recently, Keeping an Eye Open. He has received the Man Booker Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the David Cohen Prize for Literature and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in France, the Prix Médicis and the Prix Femina; and in Austria, the State Prize for European Literature. In 2004 he was named Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. His work has been translated into more than forty languages. He lives in London.