I was prepared to complain pretty bitterly about this book, especially after having loved Life After Life. The first 90% of this novel seems like all the gloomy bits the editor removed from the first novel, which is saying a lot because Life After Life contains a lot Death After Death, of course. 
 A God in Ruins seemed to exist merely to instruct us on why all of the characters in Life After Life were so fond of Teddy - something the first novel never really got across. But then, it got better. The emotional charge is entirely back-loaded but worth a read to get to.