A God in Ruins is considered a companion novel to Life after Life-both center around a member of the Todd family of Fox Corner during WWII and in the case of AGIR including post WWII. I am admittedly a huge Kate Atkinson fan loving both Life after Life and Behind the Scenes at the Museum (I have not read any of her mysteries)-so I was very excited to finally sit down and start A God in Ruins.

Teddy is the golden boy of the Todd family-he is the source for all of his Aunt Izzie’s wildly popular fictional character Augustus’ escapades. He is closest to his sister Ursula whose story(ies) is(are) told in Life after Life. When the war breaks out Teddy becomes a bomber pilot/wing commander/hero/much loved by his squadron/POW camp survivor-after the war marries Nancy Shawcross (literally the girl next door), they have a daughter Viola who in turn has two children-Bertie and Sonny. The narrative does not adhere to a strict chronological timeline-companion chapters such as his childhood/Bertie and Sonny’s are lumped together contributing to the tension of some of the story lines.

Some of the most compelling passages are the flashbacks of Teddy’s wartime experiences reminding me that this really is a novel of WWII. The flashbacks are haunting in their brutality both in what is experienced and what is done. His last bombing mission to Nuremberg is as vivid as they come. By contrast Teddy’s life is rather ordinary after the war-he is a man best suited to country life, becomes a nature writer, a husband, father and grandfather. Where Teddy is extremely likable-he decided if he survived the war he would always be kind- Viola is unlikable albeit very funny at times-she is a terrible mother,has difficulty with loving,being loved and is deeply resentful of her father. Her pivotal moment comes late in the book which is also one of the crucial turns in the novel.

As Teddy’s post war life unfolds I found myself pondering the often asked question of how does an ordinary life compare to having participated in extraordinary circumstances. Teddy’s post war life is somewhat bland-yet Teddy still retains all of the qualities that made him a hero and when asked by Nancy to commit a specific act he evaluates his role in the war.

Atkinson known for turning our perceptions of storytelling on its proverbial head jolts the reader near the end of the novel. I must admit I was not expecting this and it took a little time to digest and appreciate but I do and am so glad that I read AGIR. The novel ends with hands down one of the best final lines for a novel:

“But please stop reading now.”