"Surprise Saturday": The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (Book Review)
Synopsis:
British retiree Anthony (Tony) Webster is a peaceable man with a simple life and a practical mind that are all obfuscated by his memory. He takes us on a journey through his past life events: school days filled with curiosity, friendships brushed with obsession, and a love life entangled with delusions. Are all of Tony’s stories, explanations, and justifications credible? Does his memory account for the skeletons in his past? ...or as readers, are we incentivized to antagonize him?
Categorical Rankings (/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️):
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (A slow burn, generally speaking, with sections that vary in excitement.)
Theme: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (The message of how the past can haunt us through the enigma of memory is satisfyingly developed.)
Emotional Impact/Attachment: ⭐️⭐️ (Sympathizing with the narrator was, personally, not possible, making the story dull since every plot point is strained through his perspective.)
Overall Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Despite the lackluster protagonist, I enjoyed the progression of the story. The final twist was...interesting.)
Book Insights (considerable spoilers):
It was not the reviews, it was not the genre, and it was most definitely not the cover that drew me to this book. It was its title: "The Sense of an Ending". I had no clue what these words were alluding to when I first read them, but they were quite thought-provoking if I do say so myself.
In this short psychological fiction novel, I was submerged in the mind of an elderly British man whose past may be perceived as ordinary but is framed by him in a way that is so straightforward that I couldn’t help but assume it was anything but. I was right, yet unexpectedly surprised.
When it came to the characters, I was pleased with the development of each and their contribution to the story. Most notably, I loved Veronica and how I was able to admire her finical characteristics even after being torn apart and judged by Tony throughout most of the book. She was true to her idealistic standards, and when Tony didn’t reciprocate her demands, she understandably left. Plus, going after his best friend was a compelling move. Was it done out of revenge? Was it done out of genuine attraction? I don’t know, but I was fine with it.
Tony was the least exciting of all the characters. Due to his life being so monotonous and his refusal to stand out, he "lives" off of others’ vivid attributes, for instance, intelligence or resoluteness. He psycho-analyses anyone dynamic enough to be worthy of his attention, which can be weirdly positive or horrendously negative. Of course, due to rationalizing every single one of his past actions, he can do no wrong and has done no wrong—or so he thinks.
The writing style was one of the highlights of this book. It is, for lack of a better word, quotable. Not to say it is overwhelmingly profound in all parts of the story, but Julian Barnes does a good job adding intriguing lines when Tony’s mind is in peak states of reflection.