Usually, I only read literary fiction sporadically, mostly due to fearing ending up emotionally wrecked, followed by a major book hangover. Still, I've decided to get tougher and expand my literary taste. I've always heard great things about Julian Barnes, so I picked one of his books for my first incursion.

From the get-go, Barnes conjures up ordinary images in beautiful sentences that are immediately intriguing. The story is told by a man, Tony, who recalls the impact and ramifications it had on his life meeting a gifted boy called Adrian. Their stories, like the poem they analyzed in class, are about Eros and Thanatos. There were a lot of philosophical musings on life, death, time, and memory that inspires us to reflect. I was particularly astounded by Barnes's refreshing exploration of the taboo subject of suicide.

A truly beautiful book.

A small yet extremely powerful book, it rightfully deserves the Booker. I started reading this book and was soon wondering as to where the story is eventually going. However , as the book progressed , I was rewarded with the satisfaction of having read something that will stay with me for a very long time. In all possible senses, the book does justice to the title. In the end , the main protagonist does feel the sense of everything ending.