Publisher's Weekly Review
The life expectancy of RAF pilots in World War II was notoriously short, with fewer than half surviving the war. But Teddy Todd-the beloved younger brother of Ursula Todd, whose life in all its variations was the subject of Atkinson's Life After Life-beats the odds. Inner peace means resuming a life he never expected to have in a now-diminished England. He has nightmares; a wife he loves, although not necessarily enough or in the right way; and, eventually, a daughter who blames him for her mother's early death and never misses a chance to mention the blood on his hands. As much postwar story as war story, the book is also a depiction of the way past and present mix. Atkinson fans know that she can bend time to her will, and here she effortlessly shifts between Teddy's flying days and his middle and old age, between his grandchildren and their awful mother, and back again. And, as in Life After Life, Atkinson isn't just telling a story: she's deconstructing, taking apart the notion of how we believe stories are told. Using narrative tricks that range from the subtlest sleight of hand to direct address, she makes us feel the power of storytelling not as an intellectual conceit, but as a punch in the gut. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
The best novels reward readers at every level of engagement, from the casual listener seeking an engrossing audiobook with great characters to others in pursuit of a more intellectual study of structure and craft. Atkinson's latest, a companion to Life After Life, succeeds on all levels. While the two books speak to each other in ways that will entertain fans of both, A God in Ruins, the story of Teddy Todd, an RAF pilot in World War II, stands on its own. The novel presents an epic, kaleidoscopic view of Teddy and his family over the course of nearly a century. A single event is often recalled in several different ways, both from the point of view of different characters and through Teddy's subtly differing perspectives on a single event from the vantage point of multiple stages in his life. The result is a profoundly moving meditation on memory, perception, and time. Atkinson is a master of detail and character, and plot points are revealed skillfully and with purpose. The controversial ending delivers a gut punch that should remind readers what's at stake in war, in real life, and in fiction. Alex Jennings's subtle, affecting performance does Atkinson's powerful novel perfect justice. Verdict A must-listen! A God in Ruins gives fiction lovers reason to proclaim that the demise of the novel has been greatly exaggerated. ["Beautifully written but emotionally withheld; there's more to disappointed lives then just disappointment": LJ 5/15/15 review of the Little, Brown hc.]-Heather Malcolm, Bow, WA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
