Grasping the Endgame
Margaret Atwood, author of "The Handmaid's Tale," lost her husband Graeme Gibson in 2019 and the experience channels some powerful currents in her new collection, "Old Babes in the Wood." We are introduced to an older couple, Tig and Nell, in the opening of the book. The second section consists of eight independent short stories. The final area brings us back to Tig and Nell--but now Nell is left to absorb her husband's death-- how to wrap up his life and their relationship.
Tig and Nell fit one another. Three stories show them in their twilight, making each other giggle during first aid courses, tapping into that intimate humor that a close couple share exclusively. There are jokes about no one getting out of life alive and Nell reflects later that their naivety, their obliviousness to an expiration, had served them well.
The middle of the book jumps around to various tales published over the years. "My Evil Mother" is a humorous tale-- mom is a witch. There is an imaginary interview the author conducts with the long dead George Orwell, comparing his pessimistic predictions with the predicament we are in now. Other stories cover alien babysitters, a future world with pre-arranged marriages set up to insure population growth (a takeoff on Handmaid's themes), a snail in uncomfortable attire, and a few assorted studies in aging.
The final section, "Nell and Tig," finds Tig adrift, left to deal with the absence of her late husband. This was the knock-out punch in the book, bursting with the power of Ms. Atwood's real-life grief. Nell sifts through the remnants of her companion's life, trying to make sense of events, trying to understand "...these cryptic messages from the dead..." She is puzzled and asks Tig why he left her one particular wooden box of mementos, pondering what it was he was trying to tell her?
You do not get to practice being old. This book struck a chord with me as I have recently walked the same path as Nell and found the essence to be true. The seven Tig / Nell stories are brilliant. The collection of others is very good, as well, if a little scattered. This is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking set.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Margaret Atwood, author of "The Handmaid's Tale," lost her husband Graeme Gibson in 2019 and the experience channels some powerful currents in her new collection, "Old Babes in the Wood." We are introduced to an older couple, Tig and Nell, in the opening of the book. The second section consists of eight independent short stories. The final area brings us back to Tig and Nell--but now Nell is left to absorb her husband's death-- how to wrap up his life and their relationship.
Tig and Nell fit one another. Three stories show them in their twilight, making each other giggle during first aid courses, tapping into that intimate humor that a close couple share exclusively. There are jokes about no one getting out of life alive and Nell reflects later that their naivety, their obliviousness to an expiration, had served them well.
The middle of the book jumps around to various tales published over the years. "My Evil Mother" is a humorous tale-- mom is a witch. There is an imaginary interview the author conducts with the long dead George Orwell, comparing his pessimistic predictions with the predicament we are in now. Other stories cover alien babysitters, a future world with pre-arranged marriages set up to insure population growth (a takeoff on Handmaid's themes), a snail in uncomfortable attire, and a few assorted studies in aging.
The final section, "Nell and Tig," finds Tig adrift, left to deal with the absence of her late husband. This was the knock-out punch in the book, bursting with the power of Ms. Atwood's real-life grief. Nell sifts through the remnants of her companion's life, trying to make sense of events, trying to understand "...these cryptic messages from the dead..." She is puzzled and asks Tig why he left her one particular wooden box of mementos, pondering what it was he was trying to tell her?
You do not get to practice being old. This book struck a chord with me as I have recently walked the same path as Nell and found the essence to be true. The seven Tig / Nell stories are brilliant. The collection of others is very good, as well, if a little scattered. This is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking set.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
