BOOK REVIEW: Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes

 I received this audiobook from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

This is my first audiobook.

I thought audiobooks were not right for me, because I was sure my mind would wander if I was not moving my eyes down the page. I enjoy reading. However, I have a knitting project I want to complete and I can’t read and knit. I saw Julian Barnes’ new novel offered on Netgalley as an audiobook, so I decided to try listening and knitting.

I love Julian Barnes’ work and this book, Elizabeth Finch, is no exception. The narrator was easy to listen to and his British accent fit well with the content.

The narrator of the novel, Neil, is a twice-divorced ex-actor who names himself the King of Unfinished Projects. After the failure of his first marriage, he takes an adult education class taught by Elizabeth Finch and she becomes his lifelong obsession.

She teaches history/culture/philosophy and believes in discussion rather than lecturing. She wants to teach students how to think. Neil is hooked, partly by the classroom discussions but more by the woman herself. She is so unlike anyone he has ever known that he can’t stop trying to define her.

The first part of the novel focuses on Elizabeth herself, the class, the discussions, the friendships that developed during the term (and inevitably faded) and the narrator’s impressions of the course content. It’s interesting in the way that all Barnes’ work is interesting. In this novel, not much happens, but a lot is analyzed and the style is beautiful.

When the class ends, Neil tentatively invites Elizabeth Finch to lunch. She accepts. And for many years, the relationship continues as a monthly series of lunches where Ms. Finch continues to act as a mentor to the narrator. He enjoys their conversations but is always frustrated by the wall of complete privacy she has erected. Who is she? Has she ever loved? Does she have family? Etc. He wants to know!

Then, she dies. The narrator discovers she has left him her books and papers. He digs into them hoping for clarity. But instead of learning about Elizabeth Finch, he learns about her obsession: Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate.

Weird? Or ingenious?

The next part of the book is essentially a biography of Julian, an interpretation of his life and the impact it had upon world history. Neil’s thoughts on the matter are shaped by Elizabeth Finch’s teachings though he extends her research and broadens his thoughts beyond what he learned from her.

Who knew that I needed to learn about Julian the Apostate! It was fascinating! I never would have sought out a biography on this guy, but what a bonus to find it inside the novel ostensibly about this mysterious (or at least very private) history professor.

Barnes weaves together his theories about history, biography, memory, and interpersonal relationships in this gentle, somewhat didactic novel. Because the structure rests on Neil telling the story, it flowed well as an audiobook. Would I find it dull to read? Hard to know. Maybe. At any rate, I highly recommend the listening version. (And I’m nearly finished with the sweater I’m knitting!)