Behind the Scenes at the Museum

novel by Atkinson

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Behind the Scenes at the Museum is the debut novel by British author Kate Atkinson, published in 1995. The novel is a tragicomedy that centers on Ruby Lennox and her journey of self-discovery, which unfolds into the story of her family's survival through two world wars. Atkinson employs a unique narrative structure, interspersing the main text with chapter-long "footnotes" from various family members. These asides reveal hidden family secrets and provide a deeper look into their past through flashbacks. The novel was recognized with the 1995 Book of the Year and First Novel Whitbread Book Awards.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Kate Atkinson
first novel was the tragicomedy Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995), which evolved from a series of previously written short stories. The novel centres on Ruby Lennox, whose narrative of self-discovery ultimately becomes the story of her family’s survival through two world wars. Atkinson interspersed the text with “footnotes”—chapter-long…
Read More
first novel was the tragicomedy Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995), which evolved from a series of previously written short stories. The novel centres on Ruby Lennox, whose narrative of self-discovery ultimately becomes the story of her family’s survival through two world wars. Atkinson interspersed the text with “footnotes”—chapter-long…
Read More