Julian Barnes with Nihal Arthanayake

Great Expectations is a classic novel by Charles Dickens that chronicles the life of Pip, a young orphan living in the marshes of Kent. The story begins with Pip's encounter with an escaped convict, Abel Magwitch, which sets off a chain of events that changes his life. Pip inherits a large fortune from an anonymous benefactor, which he uses to become a gentleman. However, his journey is marked by his unrequited love for Estella, the adopted daughter of the eccentric Miss Havisham, and his eventual discovery that his benefactor is not who he expected. The novel explores themes of social class, love, rejection, and the search for true identity, set against the backdrop of early 19th-century England.

In 'Flaubert's Parrot', Julian Barnes crafts a unique narrative that follows Geoffrey Braithwaite, a retired English doctor, as he delves into the life of Gustave Flaubert. The story revolves around Braithwaite's quest to identify the authentic stuffed parrot that inspired Flaubert's story 'Un Coeur Simple'. The novel explores various aspects of Flaubert's life, Braithwaite's own reflections on his wife's death, and themes of subjectivism, the nature of biography, and the complexities of artistic creation. The book is characterized by its non-traditional narrative structure, blending elements of biography, fiction, and personal memoir.

The novel is narrated by Tony Webster, a retired man who recounts his adolescent friendship with Adrian Finn and his early romantic relationships. The story is divided into two parts: the first part describes Tony's teenage years and early adulthood, while the second part delves into his attempts to retrieve Adrian's diary, which forces him to reevaluate his memories and the truth about his past. The book explores themes of memory, history, and the inaccuracies of personal narratives, highlighting how our perceptions of the past can be flawed and subject to revision over time.