Book For The Week - 11/25/2010

Oryx and Crake

by

Margaret Atwood

Library Journal:

"The doyenne of Canadian literature (she's won both a Booker and a Giller Prize), the versatile Atwood has an uncanny ability to write in a number of literary genres. Like The Handmaid's Tale, her latest work is set in a near future that is all too realistic and almost too terrifying to contemplate. Having once led a life of comfort and self-indulgence, Jimmy, now known as Snowman, has survived an ecological disaster that has destroyed the world as we know it. As he struggles to function without everything he once knew, including time, Snowman reflects on the past, on his relationships with two characters named Oryx and Crake, and on the role of each individual in the destruction of the natural world. From its opening scene, in which the children of Crake scavenge through debris, to its horrifying conclusion, this novel challenges the reader, cleverly pairing familiar aspects of the world with parts that have been irrevocably changed. A powerful and perturbing glimpse into a dark future, this is Atwood's impassioned plea for responsible management of our human, scientific, and natural resources and a novel that will cast long and lingering shadows in the reader's mind, well after the book is closed. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/03.]-Caroline Hallsworth, City of Greater Sudbury, Ont. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information."

(I chose to listen to the book  "Oryx and Crake" after reading a review here on MP of another novel by this author called "The Year of the Flood".  It seemed like "The Year of the Flood" was a sequel to "Oryx and Crake" so I decided to purchase "Oryx and Crake"  first.  I finished listening to this book on audio on my way home from work tonight.   It has been a story that I will not forget.  During parts of the book I felt I did not like it because it seemed like the author could have alluded to some of the perversity without the complete details.   But by the end of the book I had forgiven the parts of the book that I would have edited out and was totally pulled into the story.   I am not a big fan of science fiction as historical novels are my favorite.    Never the less,  I will choose to listen to books by Margaret Atwood in the future and I would recommend "Oryx and Crake"  to a friend.  As always click on the author's name and the title of the book above to follow the links to more information. )