WRITER : Julian Barnes
MAIN CHARACTERS :
Tony Webster(Anthony) as narrator
Adrian Finn as Tony's friend
Veronica as Tony's girl friend
Sarah as Veronica's mother
Location of purchase : Kyobo Bookstore in Gwang Hwa Moon
Date of Reading : Saturday, 04th November, 2017
review by Sohn Min Suk
NOTE : There are some spoilers. If you don't want to know them, please go back.
THE cover image above is the same as what I have and finished reading yesterday.
THIS book is particularly difficult for me to judge whether it is good or bad.
One thing clear is I fairly enjoyed reading it.
I BELIEVED that I am one of the cleverest readers who understand well the intentions and hints by writers until the book's ending. Not only was I clueless, but also could not fully comprehend it when it ended. Oh God, I did not see that coming. It was clever.
NOW I began to re-read the book, and noticed the implications of each word and sentence.
The author indeed gave us many hints. Tony Webster or Anthony, a narrator, mentions
'what you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed.'
AS the reader goes through each page, they perceive that Tony's stories prove to be more than imperfect. Rather delusive. I felt almost betrayed when his story he told the reader started to be completely wrong and sometimes the opposite.
Tony created his own version of memory to protect himself from pain and shame. Adrian, rational and a philosopher, took his life rather than deceiving himself.
THE author keeps reminding the reader of characteristics of history.
'History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.'
'HISTORY is also the self-delusions of the defeated'.
IF the reader sympathized with Tony accusing Veronica of her manipulation during Chapter 1,
Chapter 2 starts to indicate a different version of events by Tony himself.
TRUTHS uncovered at Chapter 2.
Veronica was not at all manipulating, but rather devoted and dedicated.
There was indeed a damage done to Veronica, defensive and doubtful, but it was by her mother.
It was Sarah who is manipulating, seductive, and dishonest.
The old Tony confirms the real version of Veronica as his new memories begin to emerge.
' - ' << I will mention later various verification about Veronica after finished re-reading it.
Also the author himself indicates Veronica's 40 years of support and dedication for Adrian Jr. who is mentally challenged.
BOTH Tony and Adrian had numerous sexual intercourse with Sarah.
Adrian confirms that in his diary.
Tony in several indications :
"I waved goodbye, and she responded, though not the way people normally do, with a raised palm, but with a sort of horizontal gesture at waist level."
'After broke up, she slept with me.'
Tony, of course, refers this to Veronica.
But, the reader is provided with further implication that the female partner is a experienced woman skilled at rolling a condom on to his cock. It was Sarah, Veronica's mother.
ADRIAN committed suicide from a unforgivable shame of having an affair with the mother of his girlfriend and a possibility that he might be the one who got Sarah pregnant.
MEANWHILE, Tony, "who avoided being hurt and called it a capacity for survival", conveniently replaced Sarah with Veronica and repressed the memories associated with it.
EQUATIONS in Adrian's diary are, in reality, to be :
b = Baby
a1 = Adrian
a2 = Anthony
s = Sarah
v = Veronica
And the right equation is to be 'a2 + s - a1 - v = b'
"The Sense of an Ending", from Adrian's diary is,
"So, for instance, if Tony" : is the father of Sarah's child.
The reader can finally assume that Tony cannot possibly bring himself up to the monstrous truth that the Tony himself, in actuality, had fathered Adrian Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment