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A review by asourceoffiction
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love Margaret Atwood. I've never read a book of hers I didn't love. And what's amazing is how incredibly different all her stories are. Here, for instance, we have a revenge story set in the backdrop of a unique staging of The Tempest. I like Shakespeare but I'm a bit of a novice, and I was grateful for the reminder of the play's plot at the end of this book.
Prospero is a sorceror who spends 12 years in exile with his daughter Miranda, plotting revenge. Felix chooses his prison, but he similarly waits 12 years for vengeance while becoming increasingly haunted by the memory of his own Miranda, who died when she was far too young.
The way the characters and story mimic those in the play is so clever, and I especially loved the climax where we see how the inmates of Fletcher Correctional embody their own parts to put Felix's plan into action. There's something oddly heartwarming about the way they all come together in revenge.
At the end we get to hear the inmates' theories on what happened to each character after the events of the play, and I realised that I'd been studying The Tempest along with them. I loved it!
Prospero is a sorceror who spends 12 years in exile with his daughter Miranda, plotting revenge. Felix chooses his prison, but he similarly waits 12 years for vengeance while becoming increasingly haunted by the memory of his own Miranda, who died when she was far too young.
The way the characters and story mimic those in the play is so clever, and I especially loved the climax where we see how the inmates of Fletcher Correctional embody their own parts to put Felix's plan into action. There's something oddly heartwarming about the way they all come together in revenge.
At the end we get to hear the inmates' theories on what happened to each character after the events of the play, and I realised that I'd been studying The Tempest along with them. I loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death