Love, etc.

Julian Barnes

Editions

Review

That rara avis, a sequel that is better than its predecessor, Talking It Over pbk £6.99.  Here I found Barnes back on form.  His style dazzles but manages to enhance rather than obscure his exploration of the love.  Gillian, Stuart and Oliver – who formed the triangle of the first novel – come together, part, shift perspectives and positions, and speak to the reader… each in an effort to persuade us that his or her version is the true one.

The novel is dark, complex and, finally, very moving.  (By the way could the back cover offer a clue to the book’s ending?) - review by Karen Wadman