The Cold Ashby Rambler

Thanks to the Avid Reader for steering me towards this excellent read.
It is undeniable that the notion of ‘déjà vu’ is explored in Life After Life – though, naturally, not thoroughly explained!
On reflection, I wonder whether we might be persuaded that, for Ursula's experiences we may need new terminology - ‘déjà fait', perhaps?
It seems, in this novel, it’s not just history that ‘repeats itself’ but also the future.
In effect, in the world which Atkinson so skilfully constructs, past and future frequently merge into an all too well-realised present (I’m thinking here of the Blitz etc.).
Messing about with chronology has become almost de rigueur for the contemporary novelist but these narratives (for, as the Avid Reader implies, there is no single definitive story, here) transcend mere ‘time-shift’ trickery to produce a tangible sense of discomfort in the reader - can we still call this defamaliarization?
The circular serpent ( tail in mouth), the ancient symbol of eternity/continuity/rebirth, is drawn by Ursula during her second (or possibly umpteenth?) interview with Dr. Kellet and for me this goes someway to explaining what is going on.
‘Practice makes Perfect’ says Sylvie and towards the final section of the book we are led to believe that Ursula has perhaps been ‘fated’ to perform the assassination of Hitler and has been nipping in and out of existence in order to acquire the necessary skills and social attachments to get the job done.
Unfortunately, of course, you can’t shoot an ideology, even with a Webley Mark 5!