by Margaret Atwood, pub. 1977.
This is a set of 14 short stories, of which 11 have appeared previously in magazines etc.
The scope of the scenarios is rich.
Everything from a shared bathroom through an ancient sacrificial site in Mexico to a plane crash.
The usual themes are to be found within the collection - male/female relationships, obesity, life as an academic, Canadians abroad, hallucinatory companions...
There are different themes, however - birdwatching (MA is a keen birdwatcher, and has encountered kiwis on Stewart Island), giving birth (the title of the last story), plane crashes...
As with Moral Disorder, one is left with a strong sense of atmosphere - place, character, psychology - after reading each story.
If you're after those sorts of stories that end with unforgettable twists (Roald Dahl's your man for this), you'll be disappointed.
The magic of this collection is that each story serves as a window into a person or set of people - usually their characters are all too easy to identify with!
One of the things I like about Atwood's style is the lack of necessity for her characters to say very much - one character might speak a simple sentence, which is then explored thoroughly, with many nuances filled in.
And as usual there are the swift changes between comic and tragic events/perspectives.
Once again an enjoyable and unforgettable reading experience.
9/10
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