...by Margaret Atwood, 2006.
A collection of short stories (not that short), published in between Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood (although some of the stories have been published elsewhere at various other times).
As one might expect, the style is incisive, captivating and moving.
The central character of the book is Nell.
Each story deals with a stage in her life, from early childhood through to old age, and the book includes 2 poignant observations of Nell's aging/dying parents.
I was particularly moved by the account of Nell's mother losing her senses one by one, till she is trapped/lost entirely in her own world.
Although traditionally dismal topics are covered, the style is far from dismal, and, as in "real life", each event is shot through with humour.
At times the humour is LOL, and my children have both had to witness their Dad grunting away at some passage in the book.
The title story has a good deal of humour in it, as Nell adapts to a rural/farming lifestyle.
The narrative switches from first person to third person - it's a bit like watching one movie with different camera angles.
The style is a little sparser than the other books I've read, though not as stripped down as The Tent (other short stories - very short).
Once again, a gripping and inspiring read.
10/10
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I tuned into good ol' Concert FM (that was, but is now something else) while I was getting dinner on Wednesday night, and caught the end of a lecture delivered in dry, sardonic, North American tones by none other than Ms Atwood herself. It was part of the 2008 Massey (i.e., Vancouver, not Palmerston Nth) lectures, the topic of the series being 'Payback - Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth', and -- of this particular lecture -- 'Debt and Sin'. If you've got nothing more pressing to do on Wednesday evenings at 7pm, it could be worth a whirl. There are three more lectures to go.
ReplyDeleteMy sister Marjan has mentioned this too.
ReplyDeleteI will try to get to it.
I have just finished reading a short story by MA about a travel writer who is on a plane that crash lands in the ocean.
Both funny and dark (literary equivalent of Ricky Gervais, or sweet'n'sour?).