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A review by jessby
Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
2.0
This is one of Atwood's earlier novels and although there are glimpses of the writer she will become this one left me non-plussed.
Rennie is a journalist dealing with a partial mastectomy and subsequently her own mortality. She travels to a small Caribbean island under the premise of a writing travel piece but really just to escape reality for a few weeks. She gets involved with some locals, and becomes caught up in political unrest which eventuates into a coup. A book has to be exceptionally well written when all the characters are as unlikeable as they are in Bodily Harm. Rennie makes some incredibly stupid decisions and while I was sympathetic towards her, I didn't like her. None of the other characters including Jake, Lora and Paul are likeable in the least. Atwood's skill saves this from being a flop but it's certainly not one of her best.
Rennie is a journalist dealing with a partial mastectomy and subsequently her own mortality. She travels to a small Caribbean island under the premise of a writing travel piece but really just to escape reality for a few weeks. She gets involved with some locals, and becomes caught up in political unrest which eventuates into a coup. A book has to be exceptionally well written when all the characters are as unlikeable as they are in Bodily Harm. Rennie makes some incredibly stupid decisions and while I was sympathetic towards her, I didn't like her. None of the other characters including Jake, Lora and Paul are likeable in the least. Atwood's skill saves this from being a flop but it's certainly not one of her best.