Today’s Sunday Book Review is for a short story new release I was offered for my monthly First Reads freebie from Amazon Prime, Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood.
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Blurb:
Three women scheme to avenge an old friend in a darkly witty short story about loyalty, ambition, and delicious retribution by Margaret Atwood, the #1 bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Myrna, Leonie, and Chrissy meet every Thursday to sample fine cheeses, to reminisce about their former lives as professors, and lately, to muse about murder. Decades ago, a vicious cabal of male poets contrived—quite publicly and successfully—to undermine the writing career, confidence, and health of their dear friend Fern. Now, after Fern has taken a turn for the worse, her three old friends decide that it’s finally time to strike back—in secret, of course, since Fern is far too gentle to approve of a vendetta. All they need is a plan with suitably Shakespearean drama. But as sweet and satisfying as revenge can be, it’s not always so cut and dried.
My 5 Star Review:
As a fan of Atwood, I enjoy all her stories. In this book of friendships and folly, three old friends and colleagues gather for one of their weekly get-togethers complete with cheeses and gin and tonics, and the topic of conversation becomes the topic of their good friend Fern who suffered from the group of male poets who tried hard to rip her reputation as a writer to shreds some twenty years prior. The conversations mingled between the women reveal undertones of women belittled by the patriarchal society, something that was accepted commonplace before women learned to speak out.
Myrna drifts off into a diatribe explaining to her friends how lucky they were to retire as professors just in time to not be picked apart microscopically by students and peers on social media. I felt the discussions by characters were opining statements from Atwood herself.
Fern’s crime – she didn’t include a publishing colleague’s long story in her short story anthology. She also knew he would become nosey and nitpicky and try to edit his own way and Fern didn’t need the agro of dealing with him. So poor his ego that the ‘old boys club’ teamed up to try to smear Fern’s successful reputation as a romance writer. The ‘cabal’ of nine published over thirty articles in the next year, ridiculing her writing skills.
As Myrna continues her womens lib conversation, Chrissy reminds that the tactics those nine pulled in their writing, back when it happened, would not be tolerated in today’s society, the way they demeaned women in their prose of thoughts. Everyone loves a juicy scandal, and that’s what those men created about Fern, causing Fern to become insecure and fearful to publish. And fearful to answering back in retaliation for years, until she finally publishes a new book and Myrna voices concern of ‘those boys’. Fern says four have apologized since and admitted Vacher started the whole scam.
During one of their weekly get togethers, the three women talk about possible ways to avenge the five of the nine who didn’t apologize to Fern for the havoc they left on her career. They laugh and drink and as writers, begin to discuss various themes and imagined methods of murder plots for the wrongdoers – if they were to commit any.
I loved that the story took place in Toronto, and through her characters, Atwood shared many of her own thoughts of the city – especially the traffic and construction my city is famous for and the disappearing culture that was once so rich.
I also enjoyed the hilarious banter with the women when Chrissy shares what happened after wrongly targeting Stephen after going forth with her revenge plan on one of the nine. Her plan was to pay him a visit and leave him a gift of laced laxative brownies – only to discover she had chosen the wrong man to avenge, as he had already apologized and was now married. Chrissy shares in hilarity what went down with the laced brownies after discovering she shouldn’t be at Stephen’s place. So the women continue on with plan B, knowing well they cannot murder and have had enough of playing with laxatives. They decide the culprit of the clan, Vacher should definitely receive some karmic payback for orchestrating the whole Fern scandal and start with visiting some bookstores and turning the spine around on all the shelves where Vacher’s books were – except they couldn’t find any of his books, they seemed to be out of print and forgotten. Karma was already there and Fern enjoyed this news immensely.
“Cut and thirst.” “First you murder someone and then you need a drink . . .”
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