Elizabeth Finch is a fictional character. But, having read the eponymous book by Julian Barnes, I could swear that this impressive protagonist really existed. In his new work, the British author returns to his subtle game of concepts—life, truth, memory—challenging our understanding of the past. The novel is only two-thirds successful, but it’s enough to delight the reader.
Anyone with a little bit of luck has encountered a person like Elizabeth Finch. Someone who—even if we are only in touch with them for a moment, at work, at university, in public life—forever endure in our memories. They remain there as an authority, unquestioned and timeless, because they are deliberately at odds with the present. This person wishes to be outmoded. Highly principled, unyielding, and loyal to their convictions—somewhat inflexible, and hence more credible in their steadfastness. Such a person is occupied with permanence, in defiance of the roiling everyday. Their calm is stoical, not only in name, and they are indifferent to current issues. Their whole self expresses