This is an alright read. Not a very flattering thing to say about Atwood. But there is little to tantalise or surprise here. Ms. King gives a flat delivery besides, which cannot be faulted for anything really other than that it draws out the three strands within the novel like gum. The book is quite monotone which at least suits the Canadian ruralesque climate of the pre-WW2 era. I am also reminded of the eighties with that echo of themes of female suppression and gender incompatibility and pointless feats of male heroism and no-end to female sacrifice from The Handmaid’s Tale. *-* Basically the truth upheld in Atwoods novels is always spot on: our social system everywhere, at any given time since time memorial fails to bring out the best in both men and women. The system of our inventions and fantasies (the grand delusion of happiness and success) is almighty and masculine and the individual has to grin and bear it. Whatever unconditional love there was, it was clandestine. The point of this book is to tell it like it was (it is written to someone we discover at the end). *-* Where one cannot effect change one can only bear witness, albeit a covert (under an alias) or silent (muted/ mutilated) one. The sub-plot spells that out. Atwood tacks this harsh reality (realistically illustrated by the economical-political crises of the beginning of the 20th century) down onto her characters around which the reader can *** confidently for credible (if paper thin) protagoinsts. *-* The (ideosyncratic signature) sci-fi metaphors patch-worked into the main story (the switching back and forth between stories) is not a hindrance to a continuity you can easily predict, but helps to keep you engaged. HOWEVER, since in the audio version, the formatting (of a book within a book, within a book) is lost (and the performance drones on), it may take a while or some pre-knowledge to get into the recording and keep apart the three twines, at first. It cannot hurt to familiarise yourself with the plot prior to starting. I was about to give up on the story, confused (expecting something more sci-fi like the MacAdam series), until I watched a photo-collage re-enactment (book report) by some students on YouTube which outlined the story - without the characters coloured in too specifically before hand (since it’s a very make-shift, black-and-white re-enactment).

This is an abridged version of the book.