A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)

I was prepared to complain pretty bitterly about this book, especially after having loved Life After Life. The first 90% of this novel seems like all the gloomy bits the editor removed from the first novel, which is saying a lot because Life After Life contains a lot Death After Death, of course.

A God in Ruins seemed to exist merely to instruct us on why all of the characters in Life After Life were so fond of Teddy - something the first novel never really got across. But then, it got better. The emotional charge is entirely back-loaded but worth a read to get to.

An amazing book, the narrative strands are cleverly woven together and criss-cross at times with stunning and dramatic effect. A book that is comic and tragic, a book that deserves to be reread for its profundity. Brilliantly portrayed and peopled by incredibly rounded characters. A delight.

This was disappointing. As always, the writing was fantastic. But I was not at all interested in the story. Teddy was just...bleh. I was not vested in his view of things at all. This was simply not the book for me.