Transcription

Transcription by Kate Atkinson, 343 pages.

It's getting to the point that knowing that there is a new book by Atkinson coming can be a light off in the distance that keeps me going.
And while Transcription doesn't necessarily transcend all other recent fiction, in the way that Life After Life or A God in Ruins both did (admit it, they did), Transcription, with its switchbacks, slow motion pursuit, and plot-twists and turns, certainly equals the top tier of current fiction. Transcription is like the Jackson Brody novels in that respect. Juliet At loose ends after the death of her mother, Armstrong finds herself working for MI5. It's 1940 in Endland, and the 18-year-old is set to transcribing the secretly made recordings of meetings of Nazi sympathizers. Armstrong mus make decisions concerning the fates of those she is observing, her coworkers, and agents she hardly knows. Juliet discovers the layers of loyalty and betrayal that exist or that seem to exist. Her choices continue to impact her life as the story continues five years after the war's end. All of the characters are nuanced and finely drawn, and all of the situations and settings are shrouded in a foggy ambiguity. Armstrong, who seems so much older than eighteen, with a confidence that never seems misplaced, but oftne is, must decide who to believe and which path to follow. Fascinating.
The audio is very well narrated by Fenella Woolgar.