A review by flicker_black
The Only Story by Julian Barnes

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

After reading the Booker prize winning work of this author last year and having enjoyed it, I decided to give this one a try and I neither could say that I liked nor disliked it in total, there were some parts that I liked but some parts that I did not like very much too.

If someone were to summarize the novel in terms of plot (spoilers ahead), I'd say something like “hmm so a self centered 19 years old brat “falls” in love with someone who is as old as his mother and even has two daughter of his age and of course this so called love of theirs doesn't last and so the latter part of book is him reflecting on it, yeah”

Like I said, I did not think that book was bad, it had its moments, like usually books uses tropes like abuse and alcoholism merely as a plot advancing method but here the characters actually tried to do something about it and it was discussed in length and that too in a realistic and poignant manner which I liked as a reader.

Having read books like that autobiography of Matthew Perry and “Beautiful Boy”, I have something like a soft spot for books that talks about addiction in a raw manner and so I liked that but I just couldn't look past the first half of the book, yes the boy is 19 years old and hence is grown enough to make his choice but c'mon, where are the senses of the old lady?

And the ending, I don't know, it is meant to be realistic and it was all good with them breaking up, carrying parts of each other and all that but that lack of reaction to her life going downhill? That makes me question the sincerity of this so-called love Casey Paul was convincing us of in the whole book.

The writing was neat, it was purposefully annoying at first but then pieces of their circumstances  where you sort of can see why the main characters do what they do but shut up about the weather or the lack of it already.