This was Kate Atkinson’s ninth novel. A tricky narrative, playing games with story and reader. Is it a family saga? Is it a historical novel? A war novel? Do we need to categorise a work of fiction?

As well as asking questions about the nature of history, we will be thinking about how story works, and the nature of fiction. The novel asks, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were an infinite number of chances to live your life?’ We’ll discuss how effectively history and character are presented, how thoroughly the reader is engaged by the story.