Kate Atkinson's Life After Life
I recently finished Kate Atkinson's first Jackson Brodie novel, 'Case Histories,' which I thought was good but not spectacular. Several other bloggers suggested that I read Atkinson's other stand-alone novels, particularly 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' and her most recent work, 'Life After Life,' which was nominated for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction. I am happy to report that they were correct!
The basic concept of 'Life After Life' is similar to that of the film 'Groundhog Day,' but in a very different setting with less amusing outcomes. Ursula Todd, born on a snowy day in February 1910 to a wealthy family, lives her life several times over. However, unlike Phil Connors, Ursula is unaware of this, despite having frequent feelings of déjà vu.
The book focuses on several alternate versions of pivotal moments in her life that lead her in very different directions. In one life, she dies as a child after falling off the roof of her house. She is stillborn in another life, strangled by her umbilical cord. She marries an abusive husband in another life. In another life, she lives in Germany and befriends Eva Braun.
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One of Atkinson's main strengths in 'Case Histories' was the way she intertwined the three different strands of the story. Despite the rapid shifts in time, she is equally adept at weaving together the various versions of Ursula's life and the characters who appear in them. Some characteristics of Ursula's life remain consistent across all versions, as do traces of her previous lives.
Retelling the story with the same characters but with subtle differences demonstrates Atkinson's innovation in exploiting the main concept, and the way she does it is very satisfying. She also brilliantly captures British middle-class life in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly in the wartime scenes. Despite Hilary Mantel's recent dominance of literary awards, I believe 'Life After Life' could be a serious contender for the Women's Prize for Fiction this year. I will definitely look for 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum,' but this week I will (finally!) be reading 'NW' by Zadie Smith and 'Bring Up the Bodies' by Hilary Mantel in preparation for the Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist Readings event on June 4th.
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