Atwood’s first new fiction publication since The Testaments, this deeply personal collection includes a stunning sequence that follows a married couple as they travel the road together, the moments big and small that make up a long life of love — and what comes after
The stories explore the full warp and weft of experience, from two best friends disagreeing about their shared past, to the right way to stop someone from choking; from a daughter determining if her mother really is a witch, to what to do with inherited relics such as World War II parade swords.
They feature beloved cats, a confused snail, Martha Gellhorn, George Orwell, philosopher-astronomer-mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria, a cabal of elderly female academics, and an alien tasked with retelling human fairy tales.
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Nell came home one day just before dinnertime and found the front door open
– First Aid
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(@vintagebooks, 5 June 2023, e-book, 272 pages, borrowed from @NACLibraries via @BorrowBox)
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I’m a huge fan of the author especially her short fiction and really enjoyed Old Babes in the Wood. The collection is split into three sections and the first and third section feature recurring characters. Fan’s of the author will recognise her themes in these stories and her style. I especially liked Two Scorched Men, My Evil Mother, Widows and the title story. I’d recommend this.
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