Departure(s)

A moving, engaging book… his [Barnes’s] humorous narrative explores the effect of time on love… a rather lovely swansong * Independent *
[An] elegant, thoughtful final book, which considers old age, fate and happiness. It’s an arch blend of memoir and make-believe — and rather touching * The Times, *Books to Look Out For 2026* *
His [Barnes’s] “last book”… proves one of his best * Daily Telegraph, *Books to Look Out For 2026* *
Metafictional, moving, unmistakably Barnes * Observer, *Books to Look Out For 2026* *
A richly layered autofiction… Artfully constructed to seem casually conversational, it braids erudite essayism and fiction, and every line is turned inside out with qualifications * Observer *
At a little over 150 pages, Departure(s) is brief but it is not slight and, each time I read it, I thought about it for days afterwards… If this is his [Barnes’s] last book, he has given his career a triumphant ending * Financial Times *
Disparate elements are bound together by the skilful management of theme and tone… [Departure(s)] is at once confidently authoritative and tentatively questioning. Barnes assumes a personal relation with his readers, built on the kind of intimacy that cancer’s company doesn’t provide * Times Literary Supplement *
Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes approaches his 80th birthday this month secure in his position as one of our finest writers. And Departure(s) can only polish his reputation -- Matt Nixson * Daily Express and Mirror *
Departure(s), [is] a masterpiece of narrative trickery * Spectator *
Barnes at his most irresistible… [Departure(s) is] a perfect send-off * The Times *
A curious, engaging mix of fiction and non-fiction… Playful and self-aware, if this really is his last book…it’s a lovely way to sign off * UK Press Syndication *
This is an author’s farewell to his readers, and an injunction to continue to observe the world: to notice, to wonder, as the best writers always encourage us to do * Daily Mail *
Whether he’s writing fiction or nonfiction, Barnes is excellent… One of Barnes’s cleverest and most humane talents has been to allow us to feel things, ordinary things both trifling and important, about our own lives * Guardian, *Book of the Day* *
Departure(s) departs beautifully, with Barnes imagining sitting at a pavement café with his faithful reader, enjoying a drink, watching the world go by * London Standard *
The author’s masterful balance of confiding coolness and erudite intimacy will be missed even before the final page is turned * Mail on Sunday *