Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
We loveys of STNM took the time again in July to savor and chat
about the month’s pick, Life After Life
by Kate Atkinson. Janie welcomed us in her comfy home and booted husband and
dogs out just to accommodate us, although we enjoyed rubbing on the dogs once
they were “unbanned.” Sherrie was off glamorizing with business in Dallas, so I
(Elisabeth) volunteered to guest-write again. I almost feel like J. K. Rowling
– oh wait, she was a “ghost writer.” My bad. We missed her and all who couldn’t
make it.
Anyway, the book got a thumbs up with a 4.15 rating, and it generated
some interesting discussion about what life is and could be, how things might
be different by the choices we make in life. What may cause a déjà vous,
possibly a subliminal idea of previous lives? That is what happened to our
heroin, Ursula Todd. In the story, she lives out several variations of her
life, all of them ending in death and starting over at some earlier point when
she makes a different decision. The book takes us through WW I, the roaring
20s, and the horrors of WW II.
Denise described the feeling the book gave her: disturbing. We
wondered if living life over is better or just more of the same, is
reincarnation a welcome opportunity of setting things right or a burden of
choices and consequences. Horrible things might still happen but just in a
different way. Laura was moved by the way the book talked about events that we
know about but with detail and in-depth observations normally not captured; it inspired
her to do more research on the material than any other book she has read. The characters of Sylvie and Hugh, Ursula’s
parents, changed very little throughout the different scenarios of Ursula’s choices, where Hugh was well liked and Sylvie disappointing as the years rolled
by. Looking at the way her life had
gone, Sylvie may have been dispirited
by life to change from a gentle-hearted young woman to a boxed-in member of ‘society
as she understood it.’
The portrayal of Ursula’s
experiences had Diana comment that they inspired the reader to think about his/her
own mortality. Janie reflected on her heart attack and that one might live life
differently if reminded of how fragile and easily lost it is. We agreed that
the story and concept will stay with us for a long time. It is not the kind of
book that is easily forgotten.
Planning ahead, Janie gave us some more updates on the
possible road-trip book club get-away to Austin in the fall, to be hosted and
guided by Rusty, Janie’s beautiful daughter, and may include a stay at the lovely
vacation home of Janie’s friend – yes, she has connections in good places. Diana
is finalizing travel plans to Ireland with Rex and Sherrie in September and received
excited encouragement and shared experiences for the trip.
Like always, the food was a delight and well picked for the
hot summer evening. The table was laden with an array of salads, dips, breads,
and chips. The evening was crowned with a make-your-own Ice Cream Sunday. Sadly,
there was one casualty that resulted through the desperate trials of de-corking
a promising bottle of Merlot: Janie’s second-string cork-screw was torn to
pieces. To protect the parties involved, I shan’t name any names (Elisabeth)
but will gladly add that the victim was replaced within days so Janie can be
back in the business of enjoying her wine. And I, for one, discovered another
advantage to screw-top wine bottles.
