“A Scattering of the Faintest Stars”: Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

Spring has arrived and as the planet begins another journey around the sun, all around us are the reminders that after death comes new life. This unending cycle of rejuvenation brings to my mind Kate Atkinson’s 2013 novel, Life After Life, a historical fiction in which Ursula Todd is born on February 11, 1910, to an upper-middle-class British family. Unfortunately, our protagonist is delivered stillborn and dies without ever drawing breath. But then, in a mind-boggling “what if” twist, she’s born to the exact same family on the exact same date and given another chance at life.

The premise of the book is this: What if you had multiple chances to rewrite your destiny? Although Ursula Todd doesn’t explicitly know that she’s being reborn over and over again, with each new life she must navigate the choices that affect her own existence, often creating ripples of joy and grief in the lives of her family and friends. As she gains more experience (i.e., more deaths), she develops an uncanny sense of deja vu. Most of the time, she succeeds in making decisions that improve the lives connected to her choices, but there are a lot of dead ends, too. Literally. The cumulative effect is like reading an extensive (but by no means exhaustive) catalogue of all the ways it sucked to be a British woman leading up to and during WWII.

I’ll be honest with you readers: I’d never heard of this book – or this author – until my mom’s book club decided to read it. While I wasn’t too impressed by the synopsis, I gave it a chance in the interest of expanding my literary horizons. By the time I was finished, I harbored several opposing opinions. On the one hand, the writing is good, the narrative is quite clever, and the fully fleshed-out characters are interesting enough to make the necessary repetition of events bearable. On the other hand, I found the narrative resets surrounding Ursula’s death and rebirth to be tedious, I was frustrated by the shifting “rules” of these resets, and the ending left me unsatisfied for the amount of time I’d invested. In short, I found the novel to be interesting at first glance, but frustrating when I gave it too much thought.

So why am I recommending it to you? Well, spring is a time for growth. We should try new things and push ourselves beyond our comfort zones and preferences. While the critic in me was frustrated with the technical aspects of Life After Life, I found the characters and situations to be engaging and memorable – so much so, that I read it a year ago and I’m still thinking about them. That’s the key selling point: It’s a novel that’s stayed with me because it was so engaging, and these are the books we find ourselves recommending to total strangers every now and then. You’re welcome.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Atkinson’s novel also garnered critical and popular attention, winning the U.K.’s Costa Book Award in the novel category for 2013. In addition, it was shortlisted for several other awards, made many must-read/best-book lists, and of course, has since popped up on numerous book club reading lists. The imaginative premise is pulled off with well-researched and competent writing skill as Atkinson explores Ursula’s multiple divergent lifetimes and her wartime experiences in both London and Berlin. Needless to say, it’s an unusual novel that offers much to consider and discuss.

For better or for worse, Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life is a noteworthy book to read this spring. Although the recurring death of a protagonist makes for a morbid central thread, Atkinson counters it with an infusion of love for the Todd family and moments of lightheartedness that are ultimately life-affirming. I highly recommend this novel on the strength of its characters, the fascinating lives of Ursula Todd during a time of great change and upheaval in Europe, and the incredible detail Atkinson uses to tell her story.

Personally, I’m content with my one chance to write my destiny, but this novel is a firm reminder to enjoy what life has to offer right now. Because, much like spring, those moments of love and lightheartedness can be all too fleeting.

The Author
Kristy Dolson lived in South Korea for five years before taking a year off to travel, read, and spend time with her family in Canada and Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Education and has just returned to Gwangju, where she splits her time between teaching Korean teachers at JETI and reading as much as she can.