Nothing to Be Frightened of

I don"t believe in God, but I miss Him." Julian Barnes" new book is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his philosopher brother, a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and a homage to the French writer Jules Renard. Though he warns us that "this is not my autobiography", the result is a tour of the mind of one of our most brilliant writers.