The Sense of an Ending explores how memory’s imperfections shape personal narratives and the characters’ understanding of their pasts. Tony grapples with the unreliability of his recollections, as emotions color recollections of his relationships with Adrian and Veronica.

Tony’s perceptions of the past are challenged when he receives a portion of Adrian’s diary. The discrepancies between the diary’s contents and Tony’s memories force him to confront the limitations of his understanding and the possibility that his recollections may not be entirely accurate.

Exploring how the passage of years changes people and their relationships, Barnes shows the impact of time on identity. The novel presents time as a powerful force that shapes characters’ perspectives, leading them to reevaluate their past actions and redefine their sense of self. For example, Tony is forced to face his own envy and viciousness when reading his letter to Veronica and Adrian, and to reevaluate how he sees his former friend and girlfriend. Adrian is not the mature hero that he recalls, but a flawed man afraid to embrace the responsibilities of fatherhood. Veronica is not the conniving “snob” that he remembers. Rather than trying to manipulate him, for instance, she describes her parents’ deaths and mother’s memory loss honestly and plainly.