Scan barcode
A review by rosewolfeemery
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
4.0
I loved this book. I've only read The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin, but this is my favourite Atwood novel so far.
Cat's Eye perfectly captures the fear and dependency that characterises the relationship between a childhood bully and her victim. The "spectre" of Cordelia resonates so powerfully throughout the book - not because she's a particularly cruel or interesting character (it's fairly easy to work out why she became a bully), but how she imprinted herself so indelibly on our protagonist.
My favourite parts of the book occur when Elaine begins to dissociate from the reality of her situation. I also appreciated the shifting dynamics between the four girls - how a victim can resort to bullying herself, and how changing circumstances can appear to disrupt a power balance.
I haven't given Cat's Eye five stars simply because I found Elaine's adulthood less interesting than her childhood; I feel like the book would have been just as good if it had ended 100 pages sooner. I was also hoping for some sort of emotional payoff at the end, but that wouldn't have been realistic.
Cat's Eye perfectly captures the fear and dependency that characterises the relationship between a childhood bully and her victim. The "spectre" of Cordelia resonates so powerfully throughout the book - not because she's a particularly cruel or interesting character (it's fairly easy to work out why she became a bully), but how she imprinted herself so indelibly on our protagonist.
My favourite parts of the book occur when Elaine begins to dissociate from the reality of her situation. I also appreciated the shifting dynamics between the four girls - how a victim can resort to bullying herself, and how changing circumstances can appear to disrupt a power balance.
I haven't given Cat's Eye five stars simply because I found Elaine's adulthood less interesting than her childhood; I feel like the book would have been just as good if it had ended 100 pages sooner. I was also hoping for some sort of emotional payoff at the end, but that wouldn't have been realistic.