Cat's Eye (12)

Cat's Eye
Margaret Atwood

After The Handmaid's Tale I decided to read the other Margaret Atwood book I had. This was a wonderful book that is hard to describe.
Elaine is a middle aged artist who is back in Toronto for a retrospective of her work. She lives in Vancouver, but grew up in Toronto. The book isn't a remembrance, but rather looks at pivotal moments in her life as they happened. The book is brilliantly written, so that you look at events, but Elaine does not recognize or remember some of the significance of what has happened in the past. Most pointedly when in college she visits her former best friend, and they discuss antics of their childhood, but she does not quite remember things. As the reader you recognize having read the account of what happened, so it is almost like a memory for you also. Toward the end of the book when Elaine is looking at her paintings you realize some of the significance of them from things that she experienced in her life.
It is a wonderful look at how events shape our life, sometimes without our knowledge. And also a pained look at relationships and loss. I was struck deeply at points about what she had lost... both in terms of friends she did not keep in touch with, people who had an impact on her life.. but she has no way of knowing their whereabouts (teachers, neighbors etc). And also her family, the death of her parents... One of the few constants in her life seems to be her ex-husband whom ages has mellowed, but she can still see what she loved, and hated about him.

I enjoyed this book a lot.. but it is hard for me to say exactly why... it was a good story, well told. I will have to look into more of Atwood's work!