PositiveReadings (AUS)... a delightful, if slightly sprawling book ... The downside to such a rich tapestry of characters is that I found myself distracted reading each finely detailed backstory. The level of information is almost Dickensian, or Austen-like. Yet with Austen, each cleverly remarked upon detail serves a holistic necessity that is missing from Shrines of Gaiety. Perhaps it is attempting to be too many different things. It is, however, a highly enjoyable novel and readers of Atkinson will appreciate returning to the author’s overarching themes. Atkinson, in a clear-eyed moment of self-awareness, outlines her project through aspiring novelist Ramsay Coker’s book: ‘a razor- sharp dissection of the various strata of society in the wake of the destruction of war’. And then, ‘(Ramsay was not without ambition)’. Atkinson is winking to the audience here and, I must say, I admire the gall and ambition.
