Coming in at number 4 on my top ten list for 2015 is:

This novel was recently given the Costa novel award (the third Costa Atkinson has won), the judges labeling it “utterly magnificent.” And it is.

A companion piece to the spectacular Life After Life, Atkinson returns to the Todd family, this time focusing on Teddy, Ursula’s younger brother.  During World War II, Teddy becomes a bomber pilot, an exciting and terrifying tour of duty. After the war, he settles down with his wife Nancy and their only child Viola.

The novel’s non-linear chronology is handled masterfully, propelling the story at a breathless speed. Though Teddy seems to be leading a fairly ordinary life, there are undercurrents of melancholy and dread. You find yourself reading with your heart in your throat, waiting for the final resolution. And it’s a stunner.