The Sense of an Ending - by Julian Barnes

The BBC collective usually produces robust discussions regarding the words we read each month. But rarely does a book, whether we have developed a relationship with the characters or not, leave such an indelible mark. One such story which leaves a stain and truly gets under the skin is “The Sense of an Ending”, the 2011 Booker prize winner by Julian Barnes. Memory accounts for who we are and what we become, particularly early memories of facts which become smothered and distorted by an individual’s “chinese whispers”. This concise but compelling novella tracks the origin and distortion of one individuals memory through an apparently long, ordinary and uneventful life to a climax, where the unraveling of that memory to its factual core is fully realised with devastating consequences, leaving this particular reader completely unnerved.

The story is split into two parts. Part one begins at school. Three friends, of whom the narrator, Tony Webster is one, are joined by a fourth, Adrian Finn, whose life seems exotic when contrasted with the others - he comes from "a broken home" and is an intellectual: "If Alex had read Russell and Wittgenstein, Adrian had read Camus and Nietzsche." Adrian's tastes are continental, and so is his spiritual allegiance: "I hate the way the English have of not being serious about being serious. I really hate it." In contrast to everyone else, he has a life that is "novel-worthy".  The group bathes in the glare of this bright star. Adrian brings a spark to their middle-class, suburban lives, at a time where the 60’s sexual revolution had yet to erupt “behind the herbaceous borders and double glazing. "


Tony's narrative chronicles events, but these prove to be unreliable memoirs. Tony leaves for university and experiences his first true romance –Veronica. Sexual frustration, class conflict and youthful insecurity ensue, especially when Veronica shifts her affections to Adrian. Tony's subsequent years form a dreary check-list: dull administrative job, dull marriage, even a dull divorce. Only four decades later does his story get a jolt, when an inheritance casts a new light on the past.  Like an onion, his memories are peeled back to reality’s core.
Raj and Alena had previously loved Julian Barnes work and the lucidity of his latest work reinforced their opinions of the skill of this eminent English author. Andy, new to the Barnes stable of work,  had taken time to immerse himself in the words of the book, and had become enveloped by the narrative.  Dennis, despite being moved, could not sympathise with the main protagonists other than Margaret. In particular, vehemence was held for Veronica, whom others felt was the ultimate victim of the tale. The discussion generated by the book caused Kevin to reconsider his final score and deepen his regard for the book. And everyone enjoyed getting under the skin of Barnes words to a sticky date dessert.


Despite its brevity, The Sense of an Ending, and the discussion generated from beneath its cover, left the BBC thirsty for more of Barnes’ work and for once, in agreement with Booker Prize judges.


Collective Score: 8 3/4