Kate Atkinson

I just finished A God in Ruins, the follow-up (not really a sequel) to Life After Life. I really enjoyed both books!

Warning: Spoilers follow.

Life After Life was startlingly original. The structure of the novel is unlike anything I've ever read. A God in Ruins is less startling (for example, Ursula only dies once), but no less enjoyable. The same Todd family is featured, but the focus is on Teddy, Ursula's brother. Like Ursula (and unlike some of the other Todds), Teddy is eminently likeable and following his life through many decades is wonderful. Both books are funny and sad and just lovely!

Also, I learned that British kids don't play with slingshots, they play with catapults!

I first encountered Kate Atkinson when I picked up Transcription, which my wife was reading. It was laying there, so I picked it up and started reading it, not knowing anything about it or its author. I loved it. The protagonist, Juliet Armstrong, remains one of my favorite characters in all of fiction (in particular, I like how she thinks one thing and then says something else out loud). I then read Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Atkinson's first book. Like Life After Life, it was startlingly original. But not in the same way. So she's done this twice! Crikey, who is this woman? You can't just go reinventing the novel all the time! I think I'll be adding her other books to my TBR.

Update: I also read Shrines of Gaiety, which came out in 2022. I found Gwendolen Kelling almost as likeable as Juliet Armstrong. I'm on the waiting list at the library for Normal Rules Don't Apply, which comes out this year.