Levels of Life - by Julian Barnes

I was not quite sure what this book was about. It turns out that it is about ballooning, photography, love and grief. This sounds like an odd combination, but the author skilfully uses them to express some ideas in a novel way. Although he tells stories of ballooning and photography, he also uses that part of the book to set up metaphors for use later.
I was particularly impressed by the way he talks about thoughts and emotions that I have experienced, but was never able to express in words:

• The idea of a little voice murmuring “I’m free” after the death of a loved one.
• The fact that someone is dead may mean that they are not alive, but it doesn’t mean that they do not exist.

He also abhors the euphemism “pass” used instead of “die”.
All in all I found this to be a very enriching book, which might serve anyone who wants to understand about bereavement and grief. Somehow, it succeeds in this job without being grim or morbid. It is excellent writing, which came straight from the author’s heart.