Thursday, October 12, 2006

Moral Disorder: And Other Stories by Margaret

Margaret Atwood is my all-time favorite author. I especially love her ability to take a modern day technology and then imagine what would happen if it were taken to extremes.

Her newest collection of short stories is completely different. This beautifully written short story collection presents episodes from the life of Nell, starting with the birth of her sister. Nell's life becomes more measured as time goes on, although you never feel she has settled into her skin. There is always an edge to even the most serene and domestic of these stories. Ultimately, she becomes the caretaker for her sister, her husband and her parents and these tasks help her become comfortable with the person she is meant to be.

This was a lovely collection of short stories although I could have happily read a novel that more fully explored the life of this character.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you read "Hubris" yet? I am interested to hear someone else's opinion on it.

A Librarian said...

No, I haven't read that one yet.