Departure(s)

Departure(s) is a work of fiction – but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

‘An elegant, thoughtful final book’ THE TIMES
‘His “last book” … proves one of his best’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘Metafictional, moving, unmistakably Barnes’ OBSERVER

Departure(s) is the story of a man called Stephen and a woman called Jean, who fall in love when they are young and again when they are old. It is the story of an elderly Jack Russell called Jimmy, enviably oblivious to his own mortality.

It is also the story of how the body fails us, whether through age, illness, accident or intent. And it is the story of how experiences fade into anecdotes, and then into memory. Does it matter if what we remember really happened? Or does it just matter that it mattered enough to be remembered?

It begins at the end of life – but it doesn’t end there. Ultimately, it’s about the only things that ever really mattered: how we find happiness in this life, and when it is time to say goodbye.

‘One of our finest writers… Departure(s) can only polish his reputation’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘He has given his career a triumphant ending’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Moving, engaging… explores the effects of time on love’ INDEPENDENT