Enjoyed this. Very English and contemporary for me. Quite a deep exploration of memory and how we come to believe what we make up. I should read more of his work.

I tried, I really tried...but I just couldn't get into it. I kept waiting for something to happen or for something to spark my interest. Gave up half way through.

I have a penchant for books well written books with a British voice - and this book hit that "sweet tooth" on the head - and I am often inclined to be amused by the angsty, self-absorbed philosophies of the young-adults-emerging characters in novels that include them, even though I, myself, have never read Nietzche, et al, but I do object to plot developments that I find too "too." While the equation was an interesting plot device, it was the humanity behind it was convenient. A quick - and largely lovely - read that left me with a bit of a "meh" reaction. Otherwise, this should be at least a 4 star recommendation.

A beautifully written, thought -provoking book. Such a gem to read that I wished I'd kept it another couple of days and read it again.

This is a short, well-written, interesting novel about a middle-aged man who is trying to make sense of the events that have shaped his life. I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending, but didn't really love it.

Inter-dimensional transformation by the brother, as seen from the younger sister's view, with her own "special" gifts. Her struggle to live a normal life and understand how their gifts block relationships. Because of their unique perceptions, they find it hard to tolerate "normal" school and work routines.

I've written before that we make sense of our lives through the stories we tell each other and ourselves. This relatively short novel (103 pages on my e-reader) explores that theme. Tony Webster, an Englishman in his 60s, recounts for us some episodes from his high school and university years. These stories are well-rehearsed and Tony thinks he knows what they say about him and his friends. Then something happens that overturns his memories. He suddenly recalls events that he'd long forgotten, and realizes that his views of himself and his life must be re-examined. This excellently-written story causes us to wonder how well we can really know anyone, including our younger selves. Memory is faulty and selective; we remember what we want the way we want to remember it. Even when confronted with evidence of memory's fallibility, Barnes suggests that we tend to draw conclusions on insufficient information and assume they're true. The story unfolds as a series of small surprises that add up to a large shock to Tony's well-constructed self-image. Tony tells his story in the first person. The tales of his adolescence and young adulthood are told with a youthful voice informed somewhat by the intervening years, yet there is a shift in tone as the narrative reaches the present day that is subtle and shows Barnes's mastery of his craft. This is an excellent and thought-provoking book.

Enjoyable in a thoughtful, melancholic kind of way, though that might merely be my current frame of mind and memory. The conclusion makes perfect sense if you understood that the equation on the journal page is using people's initials as the variables, as Tony finally realizes. The only one I didn't get at first was what the B stood for. Eventually, it was clear. There are plenty of hints, but they're so easily dismissed as meaning something else... and that's the whole point. All of us are capable of "just not getting it".

I couldn't put this book down. I was caught up in the wonderings of Tony as to what was happening and how much of that happening he had influenced. The whole flavour of the narrative echoes so much that takes place in our minds when we try to figure out what is going on when we have only a few clues. The 'surprise' ending is indeed a surprise. Just like in life where we don't know all the background, I was not prepared for this. This is not a book for anyone who wants a cut and dried story with a plot that has a beginning middle and end neatly laid out in a step by step manner.

Compelling, but the ending disappointed. As another reviewer said, it hadn't been telegraphed or prepared for, and to me it kind of clanged. There was nothing in the description of Adrian that would have prepared me for him behaving in the way described. And Veronica was disturbed and disturbing. Ultimately I felt unsatisfied. But it was well-written and grabbed my interest.