Books like Keeping an eye open by Julian Barnes

Never Let Me Go is a contemplative study of friendship, identity, and the ethical limits of science as it follows the lives of a group of students growing up in a quiet English boarding school.

Jennifer Egan’s interlocking narratives weave the lives of Bennie Salazar, a former punk rocker turned record executive, and Sasha, a restless young woman, across decades and continents, exploring music, memory and the fragile threads that bind us.

Set during the French Indochina War, the novel follows British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and American idealist Pyle, whose ambitions and tragic fate reshape their lives amid political turmoil.

The Pale King follows IRS employees at the Peoria, Illinois, Regional Examination Center as they navigate the absurdities of bureaucracy in a sharp, observational narrative.

A former teacher reflects on a life shaped by childhood friendships, nostalgia, and the fragile nature of memory, when an unexpected lawyer’s letter forces him to confront the past.

Elliot suffered a car accident and was in what was described as a vegetative state. Elliot's mother decides to arrange a marriage for Elliot before he dies. Avery is the girlfriend of Elliot's nephew. When Avery's father is hospitalized with an illness, her stepmother marries Avery into Elliot's family in exchange for money. Avery, who had planned to elope, is betrayed by her boyfriend and stepsister and finally decides to marry Elliot. Elliot's mother convinces Avery to have a baby for Elliot while Elliot is in a coma, and with the help of a doctor, Avery succeeds in getting pregnant. But soon Elliot awakens and is very angry about the marriage. Avery is afraid that Elliot would hurt her baby, so she hides the news of her pregnancy from everyone. When Avery's father dies of a serious illness, Avery begs for help to save her father's company and pay off his debts, Elliot misunderstands that Avery seduces rich men to raise money, and gets angry and punishes her. Elliot's lover gets Avery's pregnancy file and gives it to him, it shows the father's name is Elliot's nephew, which deepens Elliot's anger. Avery proposes divorce while Elliot does not agree with that. The two provoke each other. However, as time goes by, they gradually fall in love with each other during their daily lives.