It's also like another parlour game, called Happy Families, that people in Britain always refer to ironically. Their world is filled with strange neighbours and odd occurrences, as the story travels through time to meet previous generations in various centuries, past and future. It's not as complicated as it sounds, mainly because it isn't written in a portentous tone but a jokey one that protects us from the essential tragedy of it all. Once again, the theme is that children need parents. Without them, life becomes a game of chance.
Human croquet is a game of blood, broken limbs and bruised hearts.
It is sad to read, but Atkinson, because she has a historical world view as well as a domestic, contemporary view, turns it into poetry that is sometimes surreal. There is a splendour to the children's survival. This is easily the best novel I have read this year. Click here for our Book Reviews .