Departure(s)
Published on 22. January 2026
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-1-78733-572-1 (ISBN)
Description
Departure(s) is a work of fiction - but that doesn't mean it's not true.
'An elegant, thoughtful final book' THE TIMES
'His "last book" ... proves one of his best' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Metafictional, moving, unmistakably Barnes' OBSERVER
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, whether through age, illness, accident or intent. And it is the story of how experiences fade into anecdotes, and then into memory. Does it matter if what we remember really happened? Or does it just matter that it mattered enough to be remembered?
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.
'One of our finest writers... Departure(s) can only polish his reputation' DAILY EXPRESS
'He has given his career a triumphant ending' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Moving, engaging... explores the effects of time on love' INDEPENDENT
'An elegant, thoughtful final book' THE TIMES
'His "last book" ... proves one of his best' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Metafictional, moving, unmistakably Barnes' OBSERVER
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, whether through age, illness, accident or intent. And it is the story of how experiences fade into anecdotes, and then into memory. Does it matter if what we remember really happened? Or does it just matter that it mattered enough to be remembered?
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.
'One of our finest writers... Departure(s) can only polish his reputation' DAILY EXPRESS
'He has given his career a triumphant ending' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Moving, engaging... explores the effects of time on love' INDEPENDENT
Reviews / Votes
A moving, engaging book... his [Barnes's] humorous narrative explores the effect of time on love... a rather lovely swansong * Independent * [An] elegant, thoughtful final book, which considers old age, fate and happiness. It's an arch blend of memoir and make-believe - and rather touching * The Times, *Books to Look Out For 2026* * His [Barnes's] "last book"... proves one of his best * Daily Telegraph, *Books to Look Out For 2026* * Metafictional, moving, unmistakably Barnes * Observer, *Books to Look Out For 2026* * A richly layered autofiction... Artfully constructed to seem casually conversational, it braids erudite essayism and fiction, and every line is turned inside out with qualifications * Observer * At a little over 150 pages, Departure(s) is brief but it is not slight and, each time I read it, I thought about it for days afterwards... If this is his [Barnes's] last book, he has given his career a triumphant ending * Financial Times * Disparate elements are bound together by the skilful management of theme and tone... [Departure(s)] is at once confidently authoritative and tentatively questioning. Barnes assumes a personal relation with his readers, built on the kind of intimacy that cancer's company doesn't provide * Times Literary Supplement * Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes approaches his 80th birthday this month secure in his position as one of our finest writers. And Departure(s) can only polish his reputation -- Matt Nixson * Daily Express and Mirror * Departure(s), [is] a masterpiece of narrative trickery * Spectator * Barnes at his most irresistible... [Departure(s) is] a perfect send-off * The Times * A curious, engaging mix of fiction and non-fiction... Playful and self-aware, if this really is his last book...it's a lovely way to sign off * UK Press Syndication * This is an author's farewell to his readers, and an injunction to continue to observe the world: to notice, to wonder, as the best writers always encourage us to do * Daily Mail * Whether he's writing fiction or nonfiction, Barnes is excellent... One of Barnes's cleverest and most humane talents has been to allow us to feel things, ordinary things both trifling and important, about our own lives * Guardian, *Book of the Day* * Departure(s) departs beautifully, with Barnes imagining sitting at a pavement cafe with his faithful reader, enjoying a drink, watching the world go by * London Standard * The author's masterful balance of confiding coolness and erudite intimacy will be missed even before the final page is turned * Mail on Sunday *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
284 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78733-572-1 (9781787335721)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2026
Vintage Digital
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Julian Barnes is the author of fourteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Booker Prize, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and five works of non-fiction, including Nothing to Be Frightened Of and the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life. He was awarded the David Cohen Prize for lifetime contribution to literature in 2011, and the Legion d'honneur in 2017.