"This was another of our fears: that Life wouldn't turn out to be like Literature." 
 I am torn between 3 or 4 stars. Perhaps I would rate this 3.7, if that was a possibility. However, Goodreads forces me to round it up to 4, so I will. And it is not without ambivalence that I do so. 
 I had no expectations for this book; I found it on a library sale, and as I realized it had won the Man Booker Prize, I simply bought it, not knowing anything else about it. 
 Then after months on my shelves, I finally picked it up and fell in love with the very first sentence. Barnes' writing is exquisite, beautiful even. Little pieces of wonder and philosophy can be found on every single page, and there's something in every line that is worth quoting. 
 Barnes uses an unreliable narrator to show us how our personalities impact our memories, and how our own perception of an event has the ability to change history. As the story moves forward, the main character is constantly forced to re-evaluate his memories, constantly rewriting his own history. 
 "What you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed." 
 Ultimately, this short novel is a mind game and the ending is rather cryptic. Not all answers are given, and no matter what solution you choose, a loose end appears somewhere. Not everything can be explained, and as a reader you can't shake off the feeling that Barnes has left one piece out of the puzzle, forcing his readers to interpret and perceive for themselves. 
 (view spoiler)[For my own part, I am torn. If Adrian had sex with Veronica's mother, it would certainly explain a lot of things. When Veronica's mother warn Tony that he shouldn't let Veronica get away with too much, she's really trying to get away with something herself; seducing Veronica's boyfriends (even flirting with Tony?), and there's an elegant sense of irony to it. If Adrian and Veronic'as mother had an affair it would explain why Veronica's mother writes that he was happy before his suicide - as she would be wanting him to be happy with her. It also explains why she had his diaries. 
 The only problem in this equation is in fact Veronica and her blind rage towards Tony. Yes, his letter encouraged Adrian to talk with her mother - but how on earth could he know what was supposed to happen? What is it, that he "doesn't get", and why is he the guilty part? Is it simply because Veronica has nowhere else to put the blame? Or is it because Tony knew how Veronica's mother was, knowing she'd already flirted with him once? Does he in fact push Adrian towards Veronica's mother, knowing what would come of it? (But still the paradox remains the same; Adrian has free will, and just because Tony suggest something doesn't mean Adrian has to pick up on it.) 
 But what about the so-called 'blood-money'? Why is Adrian Jr. frightened when Tony mentions he is a friend of Mary's? 
 The problem is, Tony is an extremely unreliable narrator. At times even manipulative, as he leaves out important events and try to glorify his own innocence and stupidity. I keep thinking there's something more to it, something else that he has left out, but I cannot figure out what it might be. Some people seem to imply that Tony was in fact the one who slept with Veronica's mother, and Adrian Jr. is his child. I don't think so, but still I cannot know for sure. (hide spoiler)] 
 Ultimately, Barnes leaves us with Tony's sense of an ending - not the ending itself.