A God in Ruins

Kate Atkinson

Fiction 394 Pages; pub 2015 Kate Atkinson’s dazzling Life After Life, the bestselling adult book this year to date in the UK,

explored the possibility of infinite chances, as Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of

the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s

beloved younger brother Teddy - would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father - as he

navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his

greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have. A God in Ruins is

a masterful companion to Life After Life, and will prove once again that Kate Atkinson is one of

the finest novelists of our age.

Shortlisted for the 2015 Costa Novel Award, this gripping, often deliriously funny yet

emotionally devastating book looks at war that great fall of Man from grace" and the effect it

has, not only on those who live through it, but on the lives of the subsequent generations. It is

also about the infinite magic of fiction. Those who loved the bestselling Life After Life will

recognise Teddy as Ursula Todd’s adored younger brother but for those who have not read it, A

God in Ruins stands fully on its own. Few will dispute that it proves once again that Kate

Atkinson is one of the most exceptional novelists of our age.

REVIEWS Publishers Weekly: The life expectancy of RAF pilots in World War II was notoriously short, with fewer than half surviving the war. But Teddy Todd-the beloved younger brother of Ursula Todd, whose life in all its variations was the subject of Atkinson's Life After Life-beats the odds. Inner peace means resuming a life he never expected to have in a now-diminished England. He has nightmares; a wife he loves, although not necessarily enough or in the right way; and, eventually, a daughter who blames him for her mother's early death and never misses a chance to mention the blood on his hands. As much postwar story as war story, the book is also a depiction of the way past and present mix. Atkinson fans know that she can bend time to her will, and here she effortlessly shifts between Teddy's flying days and his middle and old age, between his grandchildren and their awful mother, and back again. And, as in Life After Life, Atkinson isn't just telling a story: she's deconstructing, taking apart the notion of how we believe stories are told. Using narrative tricks that range from the subtlest sleight of hand to direct address, she makes us feel the power of storytelling not as an intellectual conceit, but as a punch in the gut.

A God in Ruins

Kate Atkinson

DISCUSSION STARTERS

1. The sacrifices one generation makes for the next is a major theme of the novel.

How does Teddy view the sacrifices that he made in his life to provide a future for

Viola, Sunny and Bertie? In what ways do Viola, Sunny and Bertie recognize

Teddy’s sacrifices in their own lives and set out to ensure they give them

meaning? In what ways do they disrespect his sacrifices?

2. Teddy views the outbreak of war as a relief—a higher duty that will save him from

the monotony of everyday life. Why does Teddy fear settling into a stable

existence? Does the war provide the sense of purpose that Teddy was searching

for? Paradoxically, does the adventure of war prepare him for a settled adulthood

as the "Voice of Reason"?

3. Izzie was awarded the Croix de Guerre during her time as an ambulance driver in

the First World War, a fact that her family only discovered following her death.

Why does Izzie keep her honour a secret from the family? What other secrets do

characters in the book guard closely? Why?

4. Speaking of Hugh’s refusal to return to his boarding school, Sylvie says, "going

back is usually more painful than going forward" (p. 10). The narrative structure of

A God in Ruins moves back and forth time to give a fuller picture of its characters.

How does this technique influence how you view the book and its characters? Are

all returns to the past painful?

5. How would you characterize Teddy’s relationship with his sister Ursula? How

does it compare to his relationships with the other members of his family?

6. Teddy feels adrift returning o daily life. The horrors of combat force him to

reexamine everything he thought about the world around him: "The whole edifice

of civilization turned out to be constructed from an unstable mix of quicksand and

imagination" (p. 116). What does Teddy mean by this? Do you agree?

DISCUSSION STARTERS (CONTINUED)

7. Teddy’s relationship with Nancy changes following the war: "before the war he did

know her—but now she was a continual surprise" (p. 73). Has Nancy herself

changed, or has Teddy’s perception of her changed? Did Teddy still want to marry

Nancy when he returned from the war? Returning to the theme of sacrifice, what

sacrifices does Nancy make for Teddy?

8. How does Atkinson port love throughout the book? What relationships illustrate

the difference between love and desire?

9. When Teddy visits the cemetery where Hugh is buried, he says to Bertie "Promise

me you’ll make the most of your life" (p. 124). Does Teddy feel like he was able to

make the most out of his own life?

10. 10. Time is another major theme that Atkinson explores throughout A God in

Ruins. Does Teddy’s journey through time make you view the passage of time in

your own life differently?

(Questions issued by the publisher.)