Margaret Atwood’s writing cast a spell on me again.
These stories have the satirical wit of Kurt Vonnegut, the enchanting stream
of consciousness of James Joyce, the insightful ingenuity and visionary
power of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Her prose exudes the deep
understanding of the human soul that writers like Grazia Deledda and Kate Chopin had, but the tales in "Stone Mattress" are fresh. They are enmeshed in the problems that
assail humanity today.
There is
something unique about her style and the details she displays to portray her
characters. She makes you believe you’ve met them in person, and there are comments on matters that are ignored by the modern writers of the establishment.
The stories
in this collection take place in Canada and the United States of America. The
same characters are followed over time through a succession of tales. In doing
this, she exposes the changes of the society in which they live. Some of the
situations made me drown in laughter.
Whether you
like her main characters or not is not important because she kindles our empathy. There are many twists that render the read agile and adventurous.
I will share Ursula Le Guin’s surreal description of “Stone Mattress”:
“Dances of the dark swamps of Horror on the wings of
satirical wit… Look at these tales… as eight icily refreshing arsenic Popsicles
followed by a baked Alaska laced with anthrax, all served with impeccable style
and aplomb. Enjoy!”
