Let me explain.
A story punctuated by near misses, Life after Life explores what it would be like to be able to be born again and again and do things differently based on what you've learned, or vaguely remembered, from a past life.
While Ursula (ahem!) doesn't always remember her past lives, she does have feelings, mostly of dread, when she realizes that she is about to embark on a path that might, eventually, lead to her early demise.
When I started reading LAL I wasn't sure I would be able to handle reading repeating sections of text - I actually found it a little annoying at first - but as the story progressed I became absolutely engrossed in Ursula's life and the decisions she made.
Based on the premise that hindsight is 20/20, Atkinson's book sees Ursula doing everything from avoiding getting raped (and pregnant) and shooting Hitler to choosing the right mate and fate.
Originally recommended by Elaine Lui of Lainey Gossip and eTalk fame, the book is an intelligent and well-written look into the life of one woman in wartime Europe.
One of my favourite quotes from the book, that "some Buddhist philosophers believe that sometimes a bad thing happens to prevent a worse thing from happening," has given me immense comfort, and courage, the past few days...
What would you do differently if you had the chance to live your life over and over again?
Do you have regrets?
I remember watching a video on YouTube (I think) that was filmed in Romania (again, I think) about regret and what was really interesting is that the majority of people expressed regret at having NOT done things rather than having done them.
Like I say... life's a garden, dig it!
For an interesting take on regret, check out Kathryn Schulz's Ted Talks and let me know what you think.
I loved it too! It was so interesting to read how small decisions are influencing your life.
ReplyDeleteAnd how even when you make different decisions the same outcome can still occur...
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