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A review by emilyinherhead
Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Essentially, this is a book about a dysfunctional marriage where the two people need to get a divorce and move on but for some reason they just won’t do it. They’ve both had affairs and outside relationships with each other’s full knowledge, they don’t love each other like they used to, and they both know it’s over. And still, their marriage limps along for three-hundred sixty-one pages.
I didn’t hate Life Before Man, but I also didn’t love it. Many of the ideas were probably edgy and fresh when it was published in 1979, but in 2024 they lack impact. None of the characters are particularly likable or sympathetic, which isn’t a dealbreaker in itself, but I also simply didn’t care about them or what they were going through. Their problems aren’t especially interesting. This could have been about a hundred pages shorter.
I didn’t hate Life Before Man, but I also didn’t love it. Many of the ideas were probably edgy and fresh when it was published in 1979, but in 2024 they lack impact. None of the characters are particularly likable or sympathetic, which isn’t a dealbreaker in itself, but I also simply didn’t care about them or what they were going through. Their problems aren’t especially interesting. This could have been about a hundred pages shorter.