Julian Barnes’ 2011 Man Booker Prize winning novel ” The Sense of an Ending” follows the life of Tony, an awkward and desperately intelligent soul. Bildungsroman – I’m not entirely certain how to use it in a sentence, but this is the term that I believe is used for this genre of novel.

Although nothing remarkable really happens for the majority of the story, I still found myself incapable of turning away from the page. Told in first person, I can only assume that this had something, or perhaps everything, to do with the voice of its’ protagonist. The novel begins with Tony, to the best of his ability, recounting his journey from youth into adulthood, with a strong emphasis on a genius whom he called his friend, and a girl (I feel that I needn’t say more than that). Insecure, uncertain, and yet sure that his paradigm is correct and his memories sound, Tony frequently explains to the reader that he has a specific story he wishes to tell. Omitting descriptions of acquaintances and friends that don’t immediately serve his narrative, the question ‘what story is he talking about?’ rested very near the outskirts of my periphery. That question is, in fact, not really answered until nearly three quarters of the way through the novel, at which point we catch up with Tony in the present day, and the story takes yet another turn.

Simple and yet astonishing, Barnes cleverly pulls the reader from start to finish with delicate hints of unrest and mystery.

As I read, I couldn’t help but compare Tony Webster’s relationship with Victoria (the girl) with that of Philip Carey and Mildred – the relationship depicted in Somerset Maugham’s novel “Of Human Bondage.” I saw the similarities between these two relationships even before finishing the book and flipping to the back page to see that one of Julian Barnes’ honours included the ‘Somerset Maugham Award.’ Perhaps I picked up on something after all.

Love, infuriating love, in all its irrationality and hopelessness had me tempted to throw Maugham’s book out the window. My reaction wasn’t quite so strong with Barnes’ novel, but perhaps this is because the nature of the narration led me to consistently question the validity of Tony’s retelling of events.

The novel certainly provoked the problem of the unreliable narrator. I often wondered if I could entirely trust Tony, and yet I knew I didn’t have a choice.

In this way the “The Sense of an Ending” shares some similarities with the novel “The Good Soldier” by Ford Maddox Ford.” A novel where the protagonist is consistently caught out in a lie, often back-tracking, and even more often apologizing for forgotten information that might have swayed the readers opinion a different way had it been shared when it had been relevant.

Perhaps it is the combination of all of these factors which kept me riveted to the page and, upon completing the work, inspired the desire to read it again.

The big question asked by Barnes in the context of this novel is based on the validity of history. How is history created, and can we trust it? In a world where every soul tells a different story of the same event, how can we ever be comfortable in our own reality? How can we be sure of anything? Is it better to ask these questions, or is it better to live in a comfortable state of ignorance. I recently read a post on Facebook which seems to compliment these questions perfectly: “I wish I was just dumb enough to not realize that I was dumb.”

In closing, I would like to share an excerpt from the novel that I feel fully encapsulates what it’s about – don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler.

“But time… how time first grounds us and then confounds us. We thought we were being mature when we were only being safe. We imagined we were being responsible but were only being cowardly. What we called realism turned out to be a way of avoiding things rather than facing them. Time… give us enough time and our best-supported decisions will seem wobbly, our certainties whimsical”

As I read through this review, and look over the above passage, I feel certain that what makes this book so memorable is the bravery of its’ author in sharing such an unapologetic and sometimes unlikable voice with his audience. With this honesty, he turns the microscope back on us, because behind our pleasant smiles and polite nods, he knows that we’ll each continue to re-write our own histories in a light that paints us only as well-meaning and rational… even if we aren’t.

By the way, I’m curious. I just started experimenting with writing reviews on my blog, and I want to know what you think. Would you like to see more reviews? As I want to, in the near future, publish a book of my own, I’ve started to read through the Man-Booker Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning novels. I plan to review them so that I can learn more about what makes these books as good as they are. It will certainly help me to exercise my critical eye. Anyway, I would love your thoughts. Thank you for reading.