Title: Murder in the Dark  

Author: Margaret Atwood

Genre: Short Stories, Poetry, Fiction

Publisher: Virago Press (UK)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 110

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

* ‘Direct, unpretentious, humorous’ SUNDAY TIMES

Review:

“Prayer is wanting. Jesus, Jesus he says, but he’s not praying to Jesus, he’s praying to you, not to your body or your face but to the space you hold at the centre, which is the shape of the universe. Empty.”

I read this book for the book club at school and we are meeting tomorrow to discuss it. This is the first work by Margaret Atwood that I’ve read, and I can’t believe I haven’t read her work sooner! I was blown away by the beauty that is her writing! The way she pens her ideas and brings emotions through words is truly breathtaking!

Murder in the Dark is a collection of poetry and prose that centres around themes of loss, patriarchy, as well as a few autobiographical pieces. I had a few favourites. One was where she was describing different boyfriends she had, and how she remembers them by the dresses she wore. She doesn’t remember the details about the boys, but remembers the details about the dresses! Another is a satire titled Simmering, which portrays a reversal of gender roles. Men stay at home and women go to work! Atwood also pens about men’s abuse of power, and how men can use women solely for their bodies. They don’t worship the woman herself, but the use of her body!

I would highly recommend this if you enjoy reading short reads that discuss important themes still relevant to today’s society. I don’t read a lot of poetry or short works of fiction, but I absolutely loved this! I just hope the kids liked it as much as I did!

Happy reading bookworms!