Normal rules don't apply by Kate Atkinson: subject - short stories.
A lot of the reaction to this volume of tales rather depends on whether the reader likes the short story format and thinks it works well in this instance. If anyone would like to write a sentence or two about the book, please email me Janet Bayliss – so we can post to the book group part of the ESNEFT book group website.
Kate Atkinson is a very well-known novelist, famed for her ability to bring together extraordinary ideas and concepts with fine writing that convincingly captures characters and scenes from daily life. Her first novel, Behind the scenes at the museum (1995) told the story of the narrator’s life from conception; while Life after life (2013) explores reincarnation, alternate universes and the idea that someone might be constantly reborn until they achieve the goal they were created for. Kate is now perhaps best recognised for the series of crime novels featuring her flawed detective Jackson Brodie; which have been adapted for television, starring Jason Isaacs.
The stories in Normal rules don’t apply take some of the ideas from Atkinson’s earlier books one stage further, covering topics such as the end of the world, life after death, and even what it is like to have god-like creative powers and still have to hold down a day job.
Our reactions to the stories varied; in general we all enjoyed them, or those that we read, but some members admitting they had trouble with the short story format. Some of the subjects of the stories were a little morbid, but mostly everyone had a favourite story. All of the stories are linked together in some way and there is an overarching arc which means that some loose ends in earlier narratives are tied up by others nearer the end. However, some aspects of the plots, characters and settings are never fully explained, which we found rather frustrating. “Blithe Spirit”, was well liked, as it is a standalone story, revolving around the short life and after death experiences of Mandy, a political secretary; we also warmed to Franklin, the rather unfortunate character who appears in several of the tales. The episode entitled “Puppies and Rainbows” is apparently a riff on the Harry and Meghan saga, a fact which bypassed some of us entirely.
For those who like archaeology and history from a female perspective, two audiobooks had a warm recommendation: Eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution by Cat Bohannon and Normal women: 900 years of making history by Philippa Gregory and others.
Other books in the history/archaeology theme include: Written in bone by Sue Black, Ancestors: a prehistory of Britain in seven burials by Alice Roberts and by the same author: Buried: an alternative history of the first millennium in Britain. For readers who like more of a feminist point of view: Invisible women: exposing data bias in a world designed for men by Caroline Criado-Perez is very interesting around the issues of gender bias in work, in research and daily life.
Turning to fiction, we revisited the virtues of The trial by Rob Rinder (to be a book group book in October); the “Seven Sisters” series by Lucinda Riley and The priory of the orange tree by Samantha Shannon. If you prefer big, well-constructed fantasy novels, the “Gates of the World” series by K.M. McKinley had a positive mention, but too long for book group, sadly.
Several of the above may be on Libby, check them out at the ESNEFT Libby pages.