Matt

As Margaret Atwood's second (published) novel, you can start to see more of the themes that would come to define her writing (Canadian-ness, sexual politics, reproductive rights, even conservationism) coalesce around the distinctive voice that was already present in The Edible Woman. It had been a while since I'd read this one, and this time I noticed how Atwood's poetic voice crosses over into her fiction here in a way that doesn't happen often during her career, particularly as the main character's mental state starts to fall apart once she comes to grips with the choices she made (or were made for her). The (intentional) void that is the main character means it's never going to be my favourite Atwood novel, but still a fascinating read that refuses to give you easy answers about what is next for the characters by the end.