I'm enjoying Kate Atkinson. I loved "Life After Life" and liked the sequel, "A God in Ruins." I loved "Transcription." I loved "Case Histories," the first of four detective novels, and I'm eager to read the other three. This morning I'm halfway through "Behind the Scenes at the Museum," her first novel — kind of a fictionalized history of English working-class families through the past 150 years — and enjoying it greatly.
I'm impressed by the way she can withhold crucial information without annoying; how her novels travel back and forth in time without confusing; and the way rich detail informs every story. I can never predict how her books will end, but in retrospect they make complete sense.
Coming across an excellent novelist in midcareer is wonderful. If I pace myself, I can work through her backlist until spring.
Bill Campbell, Hudson, Wis.
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