Kate Atkinson is a fantastic author. I have enjoyed her earlier works like When Will There Be Good Times and Left Early, Took My Dog, but LIFE AFTER LIFE is brilliant. It is definitely in a class all by itself which means that I may have a difficult time telling you about it.
Chapter 1, “Snow” 11 February, 1910. The snowstorm is is one of the worst that the area has ever seen. Sylvie is about to give birth with only her maid Bridget in attendance. The roads are too bad for her husband, Hugh, or the doctor to make it. Unfortunately, baby Ursula is strangled by the umbilical cord and dies. This prepares the reader to expect a story of a married couple dealing with the death of their baby. Except…
Chapter 2, “Snow” 11 February, 1910. The snowstorm is the worst that the area has ever seen, Sylvie is about to give birth with only her maid Bridget in attendance. Only this time the doctor is able to make it through the icy storm and is able to cut the cord, saving baby Ursula’s life.
Ursula’s life goes on through multiple deaths and rebirths. Each life lasts a little longer and she begins to realize that she can make a bit of a difference in certain things.
As Ursula repeatedly goes through her life, the reader becomes aware of how a simple thing such as a doll thrown out on a roof, or leaving a room to retrieve a handkerchief, or shooting a young Adolf Hitler can change the way your life goes on.
Atkinson must have had post-it-notes all over her office to keep Ursula’s story straight. There were times that I had to depend on the author to keep me from getting too confused. An example was the scene where Ursula was living in Germany and had become good friends with a young Eva and her lover Adolf. There was a very young child who had not been mentioned before in the scene. Two pages later not only was the child explained, but we are in Berlin during the worst of the Second World War. I only had to pay attention to the build-up and trust the talent of Kate Atkinson. Incidentally, this was also the section that moved me the most.
I loved the characters around Ursula. Each member of Ursula’s family was well developed. No matter which version of her life she was living, each stayed true to his or her basic personality. I loved the little touches of humor throughout the book: her mother Sylvie's sense of irony; her Aunt Izzy’s Auntie Mame with an edge; the cook’s terrible cooking. I loved the warmth of her father Hugh and the common sense of her sister Pam.
There are so many adjectives that could be used to describe LIFE AFTER LIFE. Bittersweet, touching, witty, joyful, heartbreaking all come to mind. I would bet money on the fact that you have never read anything quite like it before. If you decide to read it my advice is to stick with it. Let your suspension of disbelief and the author carry you through. It is a book that will make you ponder your own life’s choice for quite awhile.
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