A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

This book is being marketed as a 'companion' to Kate's previous novel, the award winning 'Life After Life'. It follows the story of Teddy, Ursula's younger brother, as he grows up, and joins Bomber Command during WW2, and then follows him through a life after the war, the 'afterward', a life he never thought he'd witness.

I really loved 'Life After Life', and so thought I'd feel the same about 'A God in Ruins', but I must admit that by about half way through, I felt myself 'plodding' through it, and feeling some chapters as a bit of a chore. I found myself getting a little fed up with the backward and forward in time, and even though the main story of Teddy is of his years in service, I hate to admit that at times I skimmed through those passages. I much preferred reading about his home life, his family, the awfully unkind Viola, and of course the wise words of Ursula.

This is not to say I disliked it, I would like to think that anyone who read 'Life After Life' should read this, it's just that I felt my thoughts wandering, and my eyes flicking to how many pages I had left! But I still loved Teddy, and it was lovely to read more about his parents and siblings.