Since I first witnessed the bloody brilliance of the plot of the Handmaid’s Tale, I wanted to read something from Margaret Atwood.
I randomly found the Tent while visiting one of the coolest book shops in London. The Tent is a collection of short stories, essay, poems, tales, concepts by Atwood. It reads faster than writing a review about it.
I imagine Atwood having a notebook where she collects ideas and dialogues and drawings… If she manages to reuse them later in something bigger, good. Otherwise, the best of unused pieces could have landed in the Tent. Everything is so smart, witty and clean. And could have been part of a larger story.
Some of the stories are offering different points of views of known tales, with an often funny or sarcastic tone. I didn’t some parts of poetry, but it sounded cool.
In one of my favorite essay, Atwood is explaining how she would write a story. A science fiction plot, stereotypical characters, then different versions, different endings and it’s so absurd but coherent! She is having fun while writing this, and it’s very pleasant to read. Is she really breaking the 4th wall? Is it just a trick?
The short format makes a perfect holiday read, and will leave you wanting more.
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