The Importance of Trust

The Only Story by Julian Barnes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The title of Julian Barnes' 'The Only Story' derives from the fact that every couple on the planet, regardless of gender, age or anything else, have their 'story' of how they got together, whether it led to better or worse or both. For the best illustration of this, think about the wonderful opening of the film 'When Harry Met Sally' - all those real life couples on sofas telling their how-we-met tales, each as funny as it is poignant, and with the glitches in their relationships shining through.

'The Only Story' has its fair share of poignant moments as well as comedic ones, especially during its early stages. At the heart of it is the central narrator, Paul, now an old man, looking back on and endeavouring to make sense of the Big Relationship of his life. This relationship began when he was just nineteen and he met and fell for a forty eight year old woman called Susan. It is back in the sixties and so much about their respective middle class worlds, from the tennis club to the stifling nature of their family lives made me smile, as well as encouraging my whole-hearted support for their relationship, despite it being both ill-advised and illicit. One of the qualities of the book is that Barnes retains this lightness of touch - his writing is so precise, so deft, so blazingly intelligent - even as the story darkens, gently taking the reader down avenues that should not make for such easy reading.

Much has been made of the age-gap between the lovers, but if you are looking for a 'racy' read then you will have to search elsewhere. For one of the things Barnes does brilliantly is show the matter-of-fact-ness of Love - how it happens TO people rather than being something they actively seek out. Paul and Susan fall for each other. Fact. Step by inevitable step, they fall deeper into each other's lives and have to face the consequences. Fact. Those consequences are both unforeseeable and utterly unavoidable. Fact. Only hindsight - Paul's as an old man - grants the wisdom of understanding.

'The Only Story' has received mixed reviews, unfairly so in my view. Critics love to pan a book for what it is NOT, which is a cheap ploy and makes me mad. They should focus instead on what a story is trying to achieve; which, in this case I would say was is exactly what the author was aiming for. Namely, a long hard look at where Love (the real deal) can take you, particularly if you are as sincere and determined a person as the young Paul. Nor does Barnes pull any punches when things start to get tough for the lovers. He pushes on, as committed to the integrity of his characters as they are to the situation in which they find themselves. There is no contrivance, no authorial trickery. Barnes, from the first word to the last, takes hold of his story by the scruff of the neck and sees it through to the end. When writers do that, you can trust them.




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