‘Departure(s)’: Julian Barnes’s final novel is an emotionally charged farewell to readers

Julian Barnes, the 2011 Booker Prize-winning author, has said his latest novel, Departures(s), is also his final. For those who have read Barnes over the years, it is a bittersweet moment. It is a joy to have another novel from the 80-year-old writer after his last, Elizabeth Finch, but sadly, there won’t be another after the poignantly titled Departure(s).

A story within the story

Barnes is one of the most experimental writers in the English language – he has proved this in his 45-year-long writing career. His novels Metroland, The Sense of an Ending, or Before She Met Me won him love from readers, while Flaubert’s Parrot, A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, or Talking it Over bowled critics over with their inventive styles. His final novel balances both acts – it is a hybrid novel. He seems to have set out on a brand new project – of attempting an autobiography, a love story, and then a final word before meeting death. On the ninth page of this novel, he states:

1. There will be a story – or a story within the story…

2. This will be my last book.

So the reader is prepared to experience Barnes’s clever wit once again, even if for the last time. Departure(s) will take the reader on a journey into the phases and ideas...

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