The episode ends with the words: "Darkness fell." Next, we're back in 1910, with a snowstorm raging outside. A young woman named Ursula enters a coffee shop in Germany and shoots a man she addresses as "Führer". Life after Life is about being given that chance. "What if we had the chance to do it again and again … until we finally get it right?" asks one of the characters near the end. As with the Brodies, Atkinson steers with a light touch, despite the grimness of the subject matter. However, for those still keen on these discriminations, Life After Life is one of the "literary" ones. Atkinson is a literary writer who likes experimenting with different forms, and her books appeal to a huge audience, full stop. In reality, the distinction is superfluous. Aficionados of Kate Atkinson's novels – this is the eighth – will tell you that she writes two sorts: the "literary" kind, exemplified by her Whitbread Prize-winning debut Behind the Scenes at the Museum, and the Jackson Brodie crime thrillers.
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