Author: Julian Barnes
I was looking for a couple of books to read on a long flight to the Bahamas and this one was high on the list. It was recently published (Oct. 15, 2011), promised some insightful writing with some suspense thrown in, had racked up great reviews on Amazon, and had won the Booker Prize for 2011. There was only one problem - it was a measly 176 pages short and hence would not serve to occupy and distract me from the tedium of the journey. Nevertheless, I was swayed by the resounding applause from the many critics who had reviewed this book and in retrospect, I am very thankful to them for convincing me to read this book.
The book is narrated in the first person with Tony Webster reminiscing about his youth and his recollection of his close friends in high-school and then his first girlfriend and the rest of his social struggles. The author mixes up the narrative with some interesting observations on how we remember things, history and the always interesting human behavior. The prose is simply perfect and the ending is a guaranteed surprise. Nice work, Julian and definitely well deserving of the Booker Prize.
I was looking for a couple of books to read on a long flight to the Bahamas and this one was high on the list. It was recently published (Oct. 15, 2011), promised some insightful writing with some suspense thrown in, had racked up great reviews on Amazon, and had won the Booker Prize for 2011. There was only one problem - it was a measly 176 pages short and hence would not serve to occupy and distract me from the tedium of the journey. Nevertheless, I was swayed by the resounding applause from the many critics who had reviewed this book and in retrospect, I am very thankful to them for convincing me to read this book.The book is narrated in the first person with Tony Webster reminiscing about his youth and his recollection of his close friends in high-school and then his first girlfriend and the rest of his social struggles. The author mixes up the narrative with some interesting observations on how we remember things, history and the always interesting human behavior. The prose is simply perfect and the ending is a guaranteed surprise. Nice work, Julian and definitely well deserving of the Booker Prize.
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