My trivial thinking

  When I was nineteen, I lost my sense of direction and the light to follow.   It felt as if I were desperately pedaling a bicycle whose chain had already snapped. Hopeless, maybe — and in a strange way, a little comical.   Perhaps life is nothing more than a collection of regrets.    

The Sense of an Ending , written by Julian Barnes, won the Man Booker Prize in 2011. Tony, Colin, and Alex are close friends in high school. One day a new student, Adrian, joins their class. He is intelligent, philosophical, and soon becomes part of their group. In history class, the boys challenge their teacher, Old Joe Hunt, when he asks them what history is. This question becomes one of the central themes of the novel. After graduation, the friends promise to stay close, but their lives diverge. Adrian wins a scholarship to Cambridge. Tony studies history at Bristol and begins dating a mysterious young woman named Veronica. He later introduces her to his friends in London. Yet Tony remains uncertain about her and eventually ends the relationship. Not long after, Tony receives a letter from Adrian asking for his permission to date Veronica. Feeling betrayed, Tony replies with a spiteful letter—one that will haunt him for decades. Some time later, Adrian commits suicide, leaving beh...