Finished it in one sitting. Review on The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes

Yesterday evening, this book arrived, which I ordered from amazon. I got a good deal on the hardcover. Anyways, The sense of an ending is a Man Booker prize winning novel written by Julian Barnes who has won several accolades.

Part 1 & Part 2 - Barnes begins this novel by listing few occurrences, which may seem random in the beginning, but are soon revealed as the defining moments in the lives of the characters central to the story. Story of Tony Webster who went to school with his close pals Colin and Alex and becomes friends with the intellectual Adrien. With time, life takes them all in different directions.

In college Tony meets with Victoria, a mysterious girl who comes from a posh family. Victoria becomes Tony's first love but the way things end between them is far from smooth. Barnes's writing is highly captivating, and I guess I sat in one position till I finished the first part. It might seem like a simple story, but the way he has written it, makes the book unputdownable.

Specially Tony's character is one of the most interesting characters ever. Page after page, he takes you deeper in their lives. Part 2 is mainly full of revelations. Tony faces the consequences of his actions in the second part. He realizes how he remembered a very different version of what really happened in his college years. My favorite line in the book is'you can infer past actions from current mental states'. This one line is so powerful and true. The big revelation that happens in the very end was not exactly full of fireworks. Barnes had left several bread crumbs throughout the book, for the readers to be able to guess what was going on.

After finishing the book, I sat for some time, trying to put the pieces together. One thing that just didn't fit, was that Barnes never gives a reason why Victoria was such a woman of mystery. But I guess it is okay in a way. But an absolute must read by Julian Barnes. The sense of an ending does not draw the line between black and white, it mainly deals with grey, the color in between the two extremes.