The Only Story

Affair. Having a love affair sounds elegant and secretive. When Paul at age 19 begins an affair with Susan, a forty-eight-year-old married woman, it started out as exciting and secretive. Julian Barnes structured his book titled, The Only Story, as a fictional memoir, and over the course of fewer than three hundred pages, we follow the relationship between Paul and Susan over decades. The excitement, secrecy and elegance turn into cold reality after not many pages, and we see the gritty reality of everyday life along with the ways in which love can overlook shortcomings. As expected, Barnes’ prose is finely written and his insight into human behavior carries many insights. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Only Story from amazon.com.