Written by English author Kate Atkinson, Life After Life (2013) tells two very different stories, each of which involve a woman named Ursula Todd. In one story, Ursula dies before she even takes her first breath. In another, she is born and survives. In fact, she lives a rather unusual and strange life. Particularly, as she grows up, she continuously dies again and again in radically different ways, all while the world becomes engulfed in the bloody carnage that was later known as World War I. At the end of the day, it is the story of a woman who is given a unique ability and how she uses it to change her life -- and lives of those around her.
Upon release, Life After Life received mostly positive reviews. Alex Clark of The Guardian liked the book, saying that "Kate Atkinson's new novel is a marvel, a great big confidence trick – but one that invites the reader to take part in the deception. In fact, it is impossible to ignore it." NPR thought similarly, saying that Atkinson "opened her novel outward, letting it breathe unrestricted, all the while creating a strong, inviting draft of something that feels remarkably like life."
