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A review by herbooksandnotes
Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
3.0
Bodily Harm Review (Trigger Warning - sexual violence and cancer)
This story follows Rennie who is a travel writer for a magazine. Rennie had suffered and survived breast cancer in which she has had a mastectomy. Breast cancer, her survival and exploration of it is an underlying element to the story. Her partner, Jake, leaves her because of her cancer. She also attempts an affair with a married doctor who saved her life. Rennie is sent to a Caribbean island to do a travel piece. However, this becomes difficult as the island is in political turmoil.
My thoughts: I gave this book 3 stars on goodreads, however I would rate it 3.5. The story was slow going until the end which I did not expect to happen! The fragmentation of time really emphasised the tension. However, there was not a single character that I liked. Rennie complained a lot and was very judgemental. Her ex partner Jake was the worst person; he was sexist, used women for sex. He thinks about nothing deeper, only sex. When I was reading, I thought can this character get any worse. And the answer is yes! He fetishises rape and plays sexual violent games. If the characters weren’t so awful I would have enjoyed the novel a bit more. The novel is set in a place called Ste Agathe, so I googled it. Saint Agatha is a patron saint of rape and breast cancer victims. Surely this is no coincidence. This is what I love about Atwood. It’s not about what happens in the novel but the meaning behind it.
This story follows Rennie who is a travel writer for a magazine. Rennie had suffered and survived breast cancer in which she has had a mastectomy. Breast cancer, her survival and exploration of it is an underlying element to the story. Her partner, Jake, leaves her because of her cancer. She also attempts an affair with a married doctor who saved her life. Rennie is sent to a Caribbean island to do a travel piece. However, this becomes difficult as the island is in political turmoil.
My thoughts: I gave this book 3 stars on goodreads, however I would rate it 3.5. The story was slow going until the end which I did not expect to happen! The fragmentation of time really emphasised the tension. However, there was not a single character that I liked. Rennie complained a lot and was very judgemental. Her ex partner Jake was the worst person; he was sexist, used women for sex. He thinks about nothing deeper, only sex. When I was reading, I thought can this character get any worse. And the answer is yes! He fetishises rape and plays sexual violent games. If the characters weren’t so awful I would have enjoyed the novel a bit more. The novel is set in a place called Ste Agathe, so I googled it. Saint Agatha is a patron saint of rape and breast cancer victims. Surely this is no coincidence. This is what I love about Atwood. It’s not about what happens in the novel but the meaning behind it.