In true Atwood style, this novel is both intelligent and highly readable. Atwood's prose is addictive and so real that I wanted to write 'YES!' all over the margins of this book. This tale is spun around yet another absorbing protagonist, this time a red-headed writer, Joan, who used to be fat.
This heroine is honest and tells us what she thinks, even when she isn't sure what this is herself. Self-discovery seems to be a recurring theme for Atwood (at least among the ones I have read so far), and Joan strives to find her identity through her relationships with others. First through a difficult relationship with her mother, then girls at school, and then through a series of relationships with men.
And yet, Joan hides huge parts of herself in each relationship, which makes this, perhaps, more a novel about perception than identity. This book is entirely relevant, frequently funny, and often bizarre. It gets a hold on you and grips you by the shoulders until you reach the last page, when you will be begging for more.
Rating: 8/10
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