I hate it when I can't think of what to say about a book. The Sense of an Ending is, I think, evidence that the Booker prize is more about a body of work than the individual title being recognized. This just doesn't have the emotional heft of the other novels on the 2011 short list. Nor does this say anything more about history, relationships, or the 'human condition' than, say, Pigeon English. 
 This isn't a bad book. It's brief, serious, even well-written. It's also a bit of a palate cleanser, not likely to stay with you for long.