Proclaimer Blog
Summer reading review #2
Life after life by Kate Atkinson was another of my holiday reads, picked (like many are) by recommendations in the Saturday paper literary supplements. I realise, as I about to explain it, it's all going to sound a little ridiculous. The story revolved around Ursula, born 1910 into a middle class family in the suburbs. The plot follows her life, but each time she dies, the story starts over – a bit like a non comic Groundhog Day. Sometimes this interludes are very short (she dies at birth, she dies shortly after birth, she dies in infancy and so on). But it's an interesting writing device that allows the author to make things right.
And basically that is what this book is about. Each time Ursula has a kind of sense she's been here before even though she doesn't realise details. So she is able to save her friend Nancy from being abducted and murdered. She is able to save herself from an abusive marriage. And ultimately she tries to eliminate the Holocaust but murdering Hitler early on his political life.
It reads better than it sounds. In fact, both Mrs R and I really enjoyed it. But there is a fundamental flaw. However much you put things right, there is always something else to go wrong. Kate Atkinson stops the story at the Holocaust, but why there? Why could she not learn Russian and do away with Stalin too? Do you see? Christianly speaking the world is broken and any amount of human intervention is not going to fix it.
So (and I suspect this is the opposite intent of the author), the reader is left exasperated by the constant ability to finally fix things. It's all rather draining. Presumably the book could have gone on for another 1,500 pages – in fact on into infinity. And so, like a book I will review tomorrow, the Christian reader is ultimately left gasping for the gospel which does change things for good, for ever.
As an aside, the sections when Ursula serves as an Air Raid Warden during the Blitz are extremely well written. I love was history and though I recall reading about war leaders (Churchill, Bradley, Brooke), battle histories (D Day, Stalingrad), life at home (land girls, life in Britain), naval history (U boat battle) and soldierly camaraderie (Band of Brothers), I don't ever recall reading about such a grim but necessary job as the wardens had in Blitz torn London. Recommendations, anyone….?