Rediscovered Treasures

Sometimes you just have to move out of your room, rent it to your friend and return to it after she's moved out and you'll discover - the book you've wanted to read for years. Ok, one of the books, to be precise. You know, the one you've wanted to read since you found out it existed, you got from your bookstore or ordered it and that you put in the bag. Which you put ... somewhere. And that you can't find no matter how hard you are searching.

So I got re-united with Julian Barnes' Love, etc. a week ago. Don't be fooled by the title, this is not a cheesy romance. This is a sequel to Barnes' Talking it over which tells the story of a married couple and the man's best friend who falls in love with his wife (spoiler alert) and manages to win her over. Or rather, it lets the characters tell the story themselves. So you get three different characters, three different points of view that change and shift as the story unfolds. The two men are presented as contrasting characters, the serious, rational and a little boring guy vs. the dandy. The woman is shown as somewhat in between them. The book was fascinating - the trust, the voluntary breaking of trust, the deceit, but what interested me most was watching the woman falling out of love with her husband and falling in love with his friend oh so slowly. The aim to work against it, the secret, the guilt feelings etc. The only disadvantage is that it's a little predictable, you know witty Oliver will get Gill in the end. He's presented as verbally superior from the beginning though Stuart is presented in a likeable way as well. It's almost a fight of two principles, rationality vs. emotionality and naturally, emotions count more when it comes to love.

Love etc. sets off ten years later. Gill and Oliver have two children together, their marriage is in mediocre shape and Stuart returns from the States where he managed to establish himself as a self-made man dealing with organic food. And then the old animosities start again. Or don't they?

I've almost forgotten what an incredible eye for dialogues Julian Barnes has, in which detail he describes his characters and what they think (and feel). I've read the typical contraception debate hardly anywhere described in such a good way and the list of examples could go on and on. Ollie's sayings can still be intriguing at times, but frequently go on the readers' nerves, which is intended, of couse.

But apart from the quotes, the relationship and power struggles that start taking place are very, very fascinating to read in their own right.