England, England – Julian Barnes

This is the only Barnes fiction I hadn’t previously read, so no new JB for me until the new one is published.

I thought this was one of his weaker works. The central satirical conceit of creating an ersatz, tourist-friendly England on the Isle of Wight doesn’t convince, with deleterious consequences for the book’s further musings on notions of authenticity. It’s also not quite as funny as it would like to be. A pleasant but frustrating read.