Life After Life is a 2013 historical fiction novel by Kate Atkinson. The book is about Ursula Todd, who is born in 1910 and dies on the same night from strangling on her umbilical cord.Ursula is then reborn and repeatedly dies and lives in different ways.In each new life, Ursula faces different choices and situations that could change history.Ursula sometimes becomes obsessed with her fate and changing the outcome of her life and her family’s lives.
The book’s plot spans much of early twentieth-century history in Britain. Ursula experiences both World War I and World War II. World War II becomes particularly central in the latter half of the book.
The book’s themes include:
- Life, reincarnation, and alternate possibilities
- Fate vs. choice
- Family and love
- War and death
- Gender roles and expectations
In the final chapter of the book, Ursula is reborn and lives to the point where Teddy’s plane is shot down. However, this time he survives, without Ursula doing anything to alter the outcome. Ursula realizes that this is the reality that is “real”.
Ursula also decides to try to prevent the war by killing Adolf Hitler in late 1930. She heads to Germany to pull off the ultimate assassination attempt by targeting Adolf Hitler. The screen cuts out before we find out what happens to Ursula or if she succeeded in her attempts at killing the Führer.
The book can be seen as a book with dozens of endings, in the form of each of Ursula’s deaths. However, it can also be seen as a book with absolutely zero endings.
A God in Ruins is the second book in the Todd family series by Kate Atkinson. It was published in 2015 and features Ursula Todd’s younger brother, Teddy Todd, as the main character. Atkinson calls it a “companion piece” to Life After Life rather than a sequel.
Life After Life has also been adapted into a series by award-winning playwright Bash Doran
The book’s ending is optimistic, but Ursula experiences many terrible things before reaching her happy ending. In one version, Ursula seems to have a happy ending with a German lawyer, but things fall apart when he becomes a Nazi.
The BBC drama adaptation of Life After Life ends ambiguously, suggesting that there is no conclusion and that Ursula’s lives will continue to repeat.
Ursula’s life is set during a dangerous time in British history, which makes her constant dying plausible. She dies in many ways, including:
- Stillborn: Strangled by her umbilical cord
- Childhood: Drowned in the ocean
- Mental health: Dies in a car crash when her aunt crashes
- Starvation: Dies by suicide with her daughter
- Assassination: Dies while shooting Hitler
Ursula’s life is also set in multiple timelines and universes. She tries to stop history from repeating itself
In Life After Life, Teddy Todd is Ursula’s younger brother. Teddy’s life is changed when World War II begins. He joins the Air Force as a pilot and is shot down. Teddy disappears and is presumed dead, which devastates the family.
In the final timeline, Teddy reunites with Ursula and Nancy. Ursula tries to save Teddy by killing Hitler.
In A God in Ruins, Teddy gets a chance to live an alternate life. The book covers almost a century of Teddy’s life
Kate Atkinson is an English writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She was born on December 20, 1951 in York, England. She studied English Literature at Dundee University and received a doctorate in American Literature. She began writing short stories in 1981.
Atkinson is known for her complicated plots, experimental form, and eccentric characters. Her works include:
- Behind the Scenes at the Museum
- Shrines of Gaiety
- Big Sky
- Transcription
- A God in Ruins
- Life After Life
- Started Early, Took My Dog
- Normal Rules Don’t Apply
- When Will There
Atkinson is also known for creating the Jackson Brodie series of detective novels. The BBC One series Case Histories is based on the series.
Atkinson has also worked as a producer. Her credits include:
- The Catch (2016)
- Life After Life (2022)
- Case Histories (2011
Universe discoveries 