Departure(s)

Departure(s) is a work of fiction – but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

‘Playful, profound…moving’ OBSERVER

‘A masterpiece’ SPECTATOR

‘Barnes at his most irresistible’ THE TIMES

Departure(s) is the story of a man called Stephen and a woman called Jean, who fall in love when they are young and again when they are old. It is the story of an elderly Jack Russell called Jimmy, enviably oblivious to his own mortality.

It is also the story of how the body fails us, and of how experiences fade into anecdotes and then into memory. It begins at the end of life – but it doesn’t end there. Ultimately, it’s about the only things that ever really mattered: how we find happiness in this life, and when it is time to say goodbye.

‘His “last book”…proves one of his best’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘A moving, engaging book… Enriching’ INDEPENDENT

‘One of our finest writers… Departure(s) can only polish his reputation’ DAILY EXPRESS