PROVOCATIVE MARGARET ATWOOD
Where Darkness Meets Desire
Canadian author and poet Margaret Atwood has been pushing boundaries for the better half of six decades. Her library of works include some of the most provocative in history. We’re taking a look at three of her most provocative titles to date.
ALIAS GRACE
Published in 1996, Alias Graces tells the story of an imprisoned woman who is being interviewed by a researcher. The novel was based on the real life murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery at the hands of their servants, Grace Marks and James McDermott. Like many of her novels, Alias Grace puts the woman at the center of the frame, but the unreliable nature of the protagonist will leave you on the edge of your seat. If you want some supplemental watching, the book was adapted into a miniseries on Netflix.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE
Ah, yes, perhaps you know this one? The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the dystopia of Gilead where women only serve one purpose: to rear children. In this hyper-religious place, the women are paired up with households, either to work there or get raped by the master of the house. The book was published well before its time in 1985, and it’s now a hit show on Hulu starring Elisabeth Moss.
ORYX AND CRAKE
Remember what we said about female-centered narratives? Well, Oryx and Crake doesn’t follow that. The main character is a man named Snowman who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. The book follows Snowman and a creature he calls Crake, bringing together the two types of being in this world.
