Her narrative voice changes as she ages, as does, of course, her understanding of the things she’s witnessing around her. Each segment jumps forward through Ruby’s life, marked by the year and narrated by Ruby. She is born in 1952 and brought home to her older sisters, Patricia and Gillian. As a fetus, she can hear her mother Bunty’s inner thoughts and knows immediately that she is an unplanned and unwanted surprise. It’s 1951 in York, England and Ruby comes into existence by accident. The novel begins at the moment of Ruby Lennox’s conception. While the story of Ruby Lennox and her family is ultimately an enjoyable novel, it suffers in comparison with Atkinson’s more recent work. I’ve loved the three previous novels that I’ve read by Kate Atkinson – Life After Life, A God in Ruinsand Transcription so when I found a secondhand copy of her first novel a few months ago I happily brought it home. Behind the Scenes at the Museum – Kate Atkinson (Picador, 1995)
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