June 19, 2015
Reckoning With ‘A God In Ruins’
From left to right: Kojo Show producer Tayla Burney, WAMU web producer Chris Chester, WAMU environmental reporter Jonathan Wilson and WAMU 'Morning Edition' host Matt McCleskey.
And now we come to the end. Our ‘get it all out’ book club conversation about the plot, characters and craft of Kate Atkinson’s ‘A God In Ruins.’
WAMU’s own awesome Morning Edition host, Matt McCleskey, was game enough to read along with us and take part in this conversation and he brought a sharp eye to the table.
We taped this having heard Atkinson’s interview with NPR’s Ari Shapiro that ran on Morning Edition earlier this week.
One-third of WAMU’s Morning Edition Book Club Team, Jonathan Wilson, behind the mic. Photo by Ruth Tam.
In that conversation, as with this one, there are spoilers. NPR ultimately posted two interviews, one that contains SUPER spoilers and one that ran on-air and reveals some of the plot without giving away the twist at the end of the book. Our most fundamental spoiler is toward the end of this conversation and we re-issue our warning before you get to it.
But, without further ado, grab a drink and some snacks and jump on in:
Now, the main takeaway that we all seemed to share is that this novel, and Atkinson through it, does an incredible job of pointing up the often difficult to fathom loss of life that war brings. There’s a video making the rounds online that does the same with images:
It’s hard to wrap your head around.
I think we also all agree that, in the end, this novel does what great fiction can do: highlight a fundamental truth about the nature of life. In this case that truth about life is that it’s tenuous and that time informs and influences the way we tell stories. Ultimately, it’s those stories that define us and how we’re remembered.
If that’s not what life’s about, what is it?
It’s certainly a big part of our lives as readers and of what we do here at WAMU. Chris, Jonathan and I are signing off for now, but hope to be back with you soon for more bookish conversations. Tell us what you’d like to hear more of!
Until then, happy reading.
Week 1: Join Us For The ‘Morning Edition Book Club’
Week 2: What’s So Great About Book Clubs, Anyway?
Week 3: Sorting Through Series With Tana French
Week 4: Where History And Literature Meet
Week 5: Reckoning With ‘A God In Ruins’