I must have read the precursor to Julian Barnes’ Love, etc – Talking it Over – some time before 2017 because I can’t find any review for it on this site. I was looking to see what I thought of the unfortunate Oliver back then given he is such an obnoxious and pompous dick in Love, etc. [Okay, that might be a trifle harsh given what you find out about him later on, but no spoilers, eh?]
Actually I’m not sure that Gillian and Stuart fare much better once you get to the end of the book. Sophie (who’s just about to be or just is a teenager) may end up being the most sane person available to us!
What Barnes does really well in Love, etc is to conjure distinct voices for each of his characters – which is just as well given the novel is told all in fourth-wall-breaking monologue. ‘Unreliable narrators’? Be careful who and what you believe! To maintain that consistency of voice(s) for 250 pages takes some skill.
I’ve read the vast majority of Barnes’ fiction – though Oliver nearly had me putting this one down early… But I’m glad I didn’t.
Ian Gouge - Writer 