Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Review of Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood


Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Length: 268 pages
Source: Library

Margaret Atwood’s new collection of short stories is sharp, imaginative, juicy, and strange—quintessential Atwood, in other words! The nine tales of Stone Mattress all deal, in some way, with the theme of growing older, but Atwood also considers relationships, marriage, identity and art. Atwood is both darkly humorous and deadly serious in these stories. For Atwood fans, this collection is an absolute must-read. And for those who have never read Atwood before (and, oh my goodness, why is that?), her latest short fiction may provide the perfect entry to her work.

The Stories: Every one of these nine stories is well worth the read, but I will just highlight a few of my favorites. In the title story, “Stone Mattress,” Verna, while on a cruise of the Arctic, meets up with a man who had humiliated her high school five decades ago. She plots her revenge in the icy landscape of 1.9 billion-year-old stromatolites. In the strange and highly affecting “Lusus Naturae,” a girl born with genetic abnormalities is believed by her family and village to be a vampire. Atwood revisits the memorable characters from her 1993 novel The Robber Bride (one of my favorite Atwood novels) in the story “I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth;” Atwood brings Tony, Roz, Charis, and even Zenia (!) back to life perfectly, and creates a highly satisfying epilogue to the original story. In the powerful final story, “Torching the Dusties,” Atwood follows an older man and woman trapped inside a retirement community while a violent, anti-elderly protest rages outside the gates.

My Thoughts: I don’t read short fiction very often. Like many readers who love novels, I sometimes find short stories overly abrupt. I fear getting emotionally involved with characters and then having my ties to them cut too quickly. But lately I’m finding that short fiction can be a welcome alternative to a novel. I read this collection just after Dewey’s 24-Hour-Readathon, and I only tackled one or two stories per night. It proved to be the perfect way to ease myself back into books after the post-readathon reading hangover. Short stories, I’m learning, can also help you sneak in a little fiction reading at times when you feel too stressed or busy to commit to a novel.

In any case, I loved this collection—maybe because I’m developing more of an appreciation for short fiction, or perhaps I was just so darn happy to read something new from Atwood. To me, these stories represent a return to the vintage Atwood of the 1990s, the era of Alias Grace and The Robber Bride—meaning a return to fiction that is psychologically insightful and emotionally gripping, but not overly fantastical. I highly recommend Stone Mattress for readers of literary fiction.

14 comments:

  1. I totally agree that this would be a great starting point for new Atwood readers and I think it's also going to be one of my go to recommendations for reluctant short story readers, too! I've read two other collections since I finished this one and have found myself much more willing to pick them up now (and at least give them a shot).

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    1. I'm kind of surprised that I've become more willing to read them . . . I will try Spoiled Brats next!

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  2. I'm glad you liked this one! I love short stories, and I love Atwood, so I will definitely read it. It's calling and mocking me from my ereader now, actually. :)

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    1. Oh, I have many unread books mocking me! ARGH! It's bad when your unread stack makes you feel guilty. But this one is absolutely worth the read.

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  3. I'm one of those people that doesn't really gravitate to short stories! I do like nonfiction short essays, but for some reason fiction short stories don't really grab me. And - I haven't read Atwood before (I know, horrifying, right?!). However, I am going to read Simon Rich's Spoiled Brats to see if I can handle some short stories.
    PS - my posts aren't showing up in Bloglovin (I'm working on getting it fixed, but am not really sure what's wrong), so check out my blog for some new posts :)

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    1. Oh yeah, you should definitely read some Atwood--but if short stories don't work for you, maybe try The Handmaid's Tale or Alias Grace. I confess I'm not a big fan of her MaddAddam trilogy, which is a little too dystopian/fantastical for me.

      I'm going to try Spoiled Brats, too . . . I have a few other things on my plate that I need to read first, that that is definitely on my list!

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  4. I've only read The Handmaid's Tale by Ms. Atwood but way back in high school and it still grabs me, so that points out the talent of the author for me. I don't read short stories much because I frankly find them lacking in enjoyability for me, but the selected titles you highlighted do sound intriguing!

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    1. Ah, I know--so many readers really don't like short fiction. I've always felt that way, but lately I've been responding to it. If you enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, you might want to try one of Atwood's other novels sometime! I really enjoyed The Robber Bride, The Blind Assassin, and Alias Grace.

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  5. I haven't read Atwood before though I want to. I heard you have to be in the right mood for her. But I am a fan of short stories so this might be a good way for me to start off with her.

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    1. I think you should give Atwood a try, definitely! And of course, there's always The Handmaid's Tale . . .

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  6. The Robber Bride was my first ever Atwood and will always have a fond place in my heart because of that - so I'm delighted to see that there is an added extra 'chapter' in this collection.

    Alias Grace is also one of my all time favourites (as well as The Handmaid's Tale).

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    1. Yes, those are my favorite Atwood novels, as well! I am not the biggest fan of her MaddAdam trilogy. So Stone Mattress felt like a return to the Atwood stories I like best. I LOVED The Robber Bride in this collection!

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  7. She is "rough" reading if you ask me. :)

    I have only read one of her books and wasn't really impressed so I haven't read any more. I keep seeing this book around the blogs. Perhaps I should give it a try.

    Thanks for your review and post.

    Elizabeth

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    1. I've loved many of Atwood's novels, but not so much her recent Maddadam trilogy, which is a little heavy on the dystopian science fiction for me! I can only take so much of the heavy sci-fi stuff, but her novels that are more literary or historical fiction are right up my alley!

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