Julian Barnes never really crossed my radar until recently. In the Sutherland House newsletter (essential reading IMO) Ken Whyte described something as “What Julian Barnes would call a nickel fucker.” Which resulted in me buying this book.

It’s great, if you’re a certain demographic. It’s full of things like this:

…this may be one of the differences between youth and age: when we are young, we invent different futures for ourselves; when we are old, we invent different pasts for others.

If that bit gets you, the whole book will.