Staring at the Sun

In "Staring at the Sun," Julian Barnes presents the intriguing journey of Jean Serjeant, who defies conventional wisdom with her extraordinary curiosity. Spanning from her childhood in the 1920s to 2021, the narrative explores her adventures, including pilgrimages to China and the Grand Canyon, as well as a playful examination of 1940s sexual euphemisms. With wit and intellectual depth, Barnes invites readers to consider the implications of living in a world where absolute truth is just a click away.