A review by perksofbeinganorchid
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 I planned my death carefully; unlike my life, which meandered along from one thing to another, despite my feeble attempts to control it. 

The opening line of the book was as gripping as my introduction to Margaret Atwood. My intention has always been to read The Handmaid first, but it was Lady Oracle that found its way to my shelf. I'll admit to having gone into this book expecting it to be a thriller, a writer who fakes her death and moves away to start over, every reader's dream.

What I wasn't expecting, was the masterful character analysis. 

 My mother named me after Joan Crawford ... Did she give me someone else's name because she wanted me never to have a name of my own? Come to think of it, Joan Crawford didn't have a name of her own either. 

The narrative follows Joan's life from a childhood constantly facing her mother's critique and disappointment, and the influence of that tumultuous relationship on every relationship thereafter. As stated in the opening line, Joan makes feeble attempts at having control in her life. Somehow, her 'battle for survival' never seems to include saving herself. Now I could probably spend this entire review ranting about how insecure and terrible the men she found herself in relationships with were, but it wasn't until I neared the end of the book that I came to understand they offered her the one thing she craved in her childhood, which wasn't her mother's love, but the safety of being invisible.

In my opinion, most women made one basic mistake: they expected their husbands to understand them 

As long as they could not see her for who she was, she could not criticise her. Being perceived was something she also struggled with when publishing her first book under her name, instead of her alias. However, it didn't simply end there. We get the opportunity to see the character begin to experience the discomfort and frustration of being seen through after years of wanting that.

I felt I never really loved anyone, not Paul, not Chuck the Royal Porcupine, not even Arthur. I'd polished them with my love and expected them to shine, brightly enough to return my own reflection, enhanced and sparkling. 

Admittedly I found the ending of the book slightly unsatisfying, but I'm certain its because I've missed something important that would have helped me understand the author's intention behind it. Overall, this book was an intriguing introduction to Margaret Atwood, and I look forward to reading more of her work.