Part of love is preparing for death... Afterwards comes the madness. And then the loneliness... {People say} you'll come out of it... And you do come out of it, that's true. But you don't come out of it like a train coming out of a tunnel, bursting through the Downs into sunshine and that swift, rattling descent to the Channel; you come out of it as a gull comes out of an oil slick; you are tarred and feathered for life.
In "Levels of Life," Julian Barnes explores the complexities of love and loss. He suggests that a significant part of love involves a confrontation with the inevitable reality of death. Following such a profound loss, emotions can spiral into madness and deep loneliness. It's a painful experience that many people will eventually say one can recover from.
However, Barnes provides a stark metaphor for the recovery process, comparing it not to...
