end of my sensing

I hate that this has to be my first book review of HelloNeiman 2.0.  Not because it was a bad read (actually, at 176 pages it was extremely engaging and fulfilling), but just because its going to be really complicated to explain any rational thought or perception to you in mere blog review words.

To sum it up, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes is basically a deep psychological and philosophical exploration into friendship, relationship and suicide.  No spoilers here, it becomes evident pretty early on that the book will deeply analyze the logic to taking one’s life.  The interesting thing is how often during reading this book … you start to understand this logic to death as well.  Do people commit suicide because they are mentally unstable … or because they are perhaps so stable that they can dissect life’s purpose all together.  As Barnes put it, “if you’re too clever you can argue yourself into anything.  You just leave common sense behind.”

The main character and supporting cast are extremely well developed, and helped sell the story perfectly.  However, I really had to read many passages over and over and over again, as I tried to fully identify Barne’s unfolding philosophy.

This is an incredibly deep thought provoking story about a guy, his relationships, his mental fortitude, and a diary.  I highly encourage you to read it, but only if you are willing to stop and think really hard after each chapter.  It’s definitely one I’ll do some more follow-up research about online.  One thing’s for sure though, this is a book that Zach Puchtel’s View would really enjoy.