Julian Barnes' 1991 book Talking It Over tackled a literary cliché, the dreaded love triangle, in a novel and audacious manner. Rather than have his bittersweet tale play out in the minds of his three protagonists (Oliver, Gillian, and Stuart), Barnes had them plead their respective cases directly to the reader, in the process offering an eerily direct take on the tribulations of love. Barnes never planned to return to Talking It Over's seemingly doomed trio, but 10 years later, he brings fans up to date. With Love, Etc., Barnes once again subverts the voyeuristic quality of novels by having his protagonists play, sometimes deviously, to the reader. This strategic vantage in a way makes readers part of the conversation, privy to each character's idiosyncratic thoughts and opinions, but also susceptible to direct pleas for understanding that sway allegiances from one participant to another. Barnes' voice-juggling would fail miserably if he hadn't invested Oliver, Gillian, and Stuart with such recognizable voices. In fact, it's amazing how easy it is to be drawn up again in the matters addressed in Talking It Over, and, once refreshed, how exciting it is to learn what new twists the story has taken. Ten years after the first book took place, the once-shy Stuart returns to England, where his former wife Gillian remains married to his former best friend (and betrayer) Oliver. While Gillian doesn't know what to make of Stuart's suspiciously cordial renewed contact, the narcissistic Oliver doesn't care: He sees the successful Stuart as the solution to his and Gillian's financial woes. What he doesn't see is that Stuart is no longer the doormat he used to be, and that Stuart's decade-old bitterness is ready to boil over. After a few flawed exercises, Barnes again finds his peak form, gradually upping the strain on the central relationship and invisibly orchestrating the tonal shift from comedy to tragedy. While all three voices allow Barnes to flex his literary muscles, he has the most fun with Oliver, a charming but noxious bastard whose vicious wit and intelligence mask feelings of debilitating inadequacy. In Barnes' book, no one emerges from the emotional conflict with clean hands, its darkest moments blurring the line between love and obsession to an almost frightening degree.